m. 


REPORT  01-  THE  BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS 


5 

303 

367 


iinento  River  Drainage  District 


GOVERNOR    OF    CALIFORNIA. 


SACRAMENTO: 

STATK  OFKJCK  :  :  :  F.  r.  THOMPSON,  SUPT.  STATK  PRINTING. 

1879. 


REPORT  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS 


Sacramento  River  Drainage  District 


GOVERNOR    OF    CALIFORNIA. 


!ll|il!l!!!!!.!Hiiniin!!ii!l||l!iiili;!iii;i''iJ|]i!-"'!'!'i 


y-- 


mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm\im 


lliMtMlllttMiMljM^ 

i         i        I         I        I         i         i        I         I         i         S        5        5         S         i 


i         1         I 


I  THROaCH  LOWEST  PART  OF  TUl€  AND   BRAIUACt   CUT  TMROUCH    MONTEZUMA    HIILS,    SCAIE   SO-xJSOOO  FT.  TO  I INCR. 


I       8       i       S       I       ,      |-, 


r 

rmcH 

snowiHC  we  Btm 

NBfB£0 

5 

,11 

e 

in 

lom 

n 

m 

CH 

" 

% 

= 

• 

1 

■ 

*■ 

■ 

K^ 

1 

- 

- 

* 

■ 

^ 

^ 

_  ^ 

« 

•- 

9 

, 

, 

. 

J 

_ 

__ 

<, 

^ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

„ 

J 

_ 

_ 

- 

_ 

JJj 

u 

■" 

- 

- 

-] 

^- 

- 

- 

- 

-\ 

- 

- 

- 

n 

n- 

- 

r 

"1 

• 

■" 

p 

»i 

U 

^ 

^ 

^ 

13 

" 

*" 

T» 

" 

i 

" 

1 

, 

'fr 

• 

- 

s  s 

i 

IS 

e 

F 

N 

CHAHKZ 

-OF 

u 

TA 

H 

eit££K 

SCALE 

S0»t 

70 

0 

-0 

/ 

/ve//. 

1 

-1- 

" 

>+ 

: 

X 

i 

-.3 

» 

»( 

' 

* 

P 

n 

S 

<4 

M 

tf' 

m 

^ 

\ 

1 

' 

^ 

1^ 

» 

" 

■ 

1 

■r 

~ 

1 

- 

" 

1 

1 

:  ^ 

ea  s 

SJSSB- 

z.  ■& 

se 

iz 

• 

*« 

-s 

!!! 

:S3Z«|388C>t>t:j 

^^ 

"" ---^    "TX 

-^          -j- 

" 

_|_ir;; 

"- 

T      .. 

- -  Jr 

+ 

«- 

$-=?«-  =  -"=-i 

55-;;;-+--+^ --" 

■--|4-Likp-Ji 

X 

!i» 

JU 

T"Waifc,:RnnsaBsa(^^ 

1 

L 

"" 

m  n 

J  'K 

•^ 

I         "X: 

-  -j-^  -  ^  '-  -'  " 

r 

i. 

1 

4-            _    - 

m 

" 

1 

::  ::::;::±i    _,  +  - 

X     X 

'    0 

S 

sssESssiasssss" 

Sosss-'.sstissstssssssssss 

iOOO   FT.   TO   1  inCM, 

" 

' 

or  cnsss  scctioil 

OF  ruu  A7t 

PiATf  m 

s» 

E 

SOX 

MOt  FT. 

TO    f  INCH. 

.,i.,..J.I..U.  1  1  1 

3 

1 1 1 

, 

I  30 

*' 

^ 

r-^MlL- 

L 

^ 

_ 

it 

J 

ILL 

._ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

X 

J_ 

_^.- 

u 

- 

^ 

L, 

- 

u 

« 

T 

"+|-nxH 

^ 

= 

^! 

— 

r 

-H-r- 

h 

n 

^j 

± 

■f 

3~ 

t^ 

--m: 

OF  CROSS    SECTION    OF  TUlt  Mt'f   ON  PtATC  H9i .    SC»LCS0%«OOOFT,TOI 


'SSissa83S8|: 


5SSS3SSSS3SS«=S8 SS»3SSJSSSSStSS»S5 


OFL 

IN 

EBL 

0 

» 

»u 

u 

l« 

"t 

scat 

St 

XI 

to 

0  FT.  TO  t  INCH. 

A<i 

XT 

r 

JL 

XT 

1, 

' 

■■ 

\ 

* 

•« 

- 

' 

- 

- 

J 

i 

^ 

4ii. 

1, 

J 

' 

■ 

8=5SS 

T^LATK    IN  9  2 
SACRAMENTO   RIVER  DRAINACE  DISTRICT. 


COMMISSIONERS'  REPORT. 


Office  Sacramento  River  Drainage  District,  ) 
Hacramento,  ('alifornia.     ] 

To  His  Excellency,  William  Irtvin,  Governor  of  California  : 

We,  the  undersigned,  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  tlie  Sacra- 
mento River  Drainage  District,  a  Board  appointed  in  accordance 
with  a  provision  of  the  LegisLnturo  of  the  State  of  California,  at  its 
last  regular  session,  entitled  "An  Act  creating  the  Sacramento  River 
Drainage  District,  to  inquire  into  the  practicahility  of  and  the  cost  of 
constructing  certain  works  described  therein,  for  the  puri)ose  of 
draining  the  surplus  water  of  the  Sacramento  River,  and  the  waters 
flowing  from  the  Coast  Range  of  Mountains  on  the  west,  into  the  tule 
basin  to  the  west  of  the  Sacramento  River,  and  south  of  Knight's 
Landing  into  Suisun  Bay,"  do  herewith  submit  the  following  report 
of  action  had  under  said  Act: 

The  sum  of  |10,000  was  appropriated  by  the  Legislature  out  of  the 
general  funds  of  the  State,  and  placed  at  our  disposal  for  the  purpose 
of  making  surveys  and  examinations  to  determine:  first,  the  practi- 
cability of  the  certain  works  described  in  the  Act;  secondly,  the 
effect  the  proposed  works  would  have  on  the  Sacramento  River,  Sui- 
sun Bay,  and  other  navigable  waters  of  the  State;  and  thirdly,  the 
cost  of  constructing  said  works. 

THE   BOARD   ORGANIZED. 

Agreeable  to  Section  2  of  the  Act,  the  Commissioners,  after  their 
appointments,  organized,  electing  R.  S.  Carey,  President,  Christopher 
Green,  Secretary,  and  appointing  Isaac  W.  Smith,  Chief  Engineer, 
James  C.  Pierson,  Assistant  Engineer,  on  the  1st  day  of  May,  1878. 

election  of  treasurer. 

Under  Section  6  of  the  Act,  and  agreeable  thereto,  an  election  was 
held  on  the  6th  day  of  July,  1878,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  a  Treas- 
urer, resulting  in  a  tie  vote.  No  farther  action  was  had  pending  the 
decision  of  the  Board,  who  took  the  matter  under  advisement.  The 
expense  of  such  election  was  paid  from  the  moneys  of  the  fund  here- 
inbefore mentioned. 

surveys  commenced. 

Prior  to  June  1st,  1878,  a  surveying  party,  with  James  C.  Pierson 
as  Engineer  in  Charge,  was  organized,  and  placed  in  the  field  on  June 
1st,  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  necessary  surveys  and  examina- 
tions. Work  was  immediately  commenced  and  unremittingly  prose- 
cuted up  to  the  5th  day  of  November  following,  at  which  time  the 
surveys  were  discontinued  and  tiie  work  of  compiling  the  data  thus 
obtained  was  commenced.     Complete  nuips,  plans,  and   estimates 


were  made  and  submitted,  together  with  the  report  of  Engineer 
Pierson  of  the  work  done,  to  the  Board  and  Chief  Engineer,  the  fol- 
lowing June. 

WORK  DONE  IN  CONNECTION   WITH   THAT  OF  THE  STATE  ENGINEER  AND 
THE   UNITED   STATES    ENGINEER   DEPARTMENT. 

Inasmuch  as  the  appropriation  was  inadequate  to  meet  the  expense 
of  a  complete  examination  of  the  Sacramento  River  in  addition  to^ 
other  work  necessary  to  be  done,  an  agreement  was  entered  into  with 
the  State  Engineer,  whereby  he  agreed,  in  consideration  of  the  use 
and  benefits  of  the  information  gained  in  our  surveys  and  examina- 
tions, to  furnish  us  all  necessary  data  in  regard  to  the  Sacramenta 
River  that  he  might  obtain.  Such  data  was  furnished  and  placed  in 
the  hands  of  Engineer  Smith.  We  also  received  much  information 
from  Colonel  G.  H.  Mendell,  of  the  United  States  Engineer  Depart- 
ment, who  likewise  received  the  benefits  of  a  portion  of  our  surveys. 
In  this  way  we  were  enabled  to  obtain  much  valuable  information 
not  otherwise  to  have  been  obtained. 

RERORT  OF  CHIEF  ENGINEER. 

The  report  of  Isaac  W.  Smith,  Chief  Engineer  to  our  Board,  was 
submitted  November  29th,  1879,  and  has  been  placed  before  the  pub- 
lic through  the  medium  of  the  Sacramento  Record-Union.  The 
report  shows  conclusively  the  impracticability  of  constructing  the 
proposed  works,  and,  therefore,  agreeable  to  Section  3  of  the  Act,  no 
further  proceedings  have  been  had.  A  copy  of  the  report  of  the 
Engineers  accompany  this  document.  Copies  have  also  been  filed 
with  the  Secretary  of  State  and  the  Surveyor-General. 

THE   MONEY   EXPENDED. 

The  following  is  a  recapitulation  of  the  expenditures  under  Section 
3  of  the  Act,  vouchers  in  detail  being  on  file  in  the  State  Controller's 
office: 

For  outfitting  surveying  party,  for  necessary  running  expenses  of  same,  for  office 

work,  and  for  salaries $9,581  65 

Expenses  attending  the  election  of  Treasurer 166  00 

Expenses  of  reconnoisance  party,  consisting  of  the  Governor,  the  Commissioners, 

the  Engineers,  and  the  Consulting  Engineers 252  35 

Total $10,000  00 

It  may  be  well  to  remark  here  that  the  Commissioners  and  Secre- 
tary have  received  no  compensation  for  their  services  or  expenses, 
the  Act  providing  that  that  be  paid  out  of  the  Construction  Fund, 
but  as  no  such  fund  was  created,  owing  to  the  adverse  report  of  the 
Engineers,  it  will  be  necessary  that  further  legislation  shall  be  had  in 
order  to  meet  this  demand.  Also,  that  a  portion  of  the  services  of 
the  Engineers  is  still  unpaid,  owing  to  the  fund  becoming  exhausted 
prior  to  the  completion  of  their  labors. 

THE   REPORTS   OF   THE   ENGINEERS   VERY   COMPLETE. 

The  reports  submitted  by  the  Engineers  are  very  complete  in  detail, 
and  embrace  an  amount  of  valuable  information,  well  compiled,  that 


has  probably  never  been  equaled  by  the  expenditure  of  a  like  sum, 
of  money  by  the  State,  and  we  consider  the  State  is  well  requited  in 
the  valuable  information  contained  in  the  reports  and  maps  accom- 
panying the  same. 

RELIEF    WORKS    IN    THE    FUTURE. 

The  work  done  and  the  information  gained  while  complete,  so  far 
as  the  requirements  of  the  Act  make  it  obligatory,  is  not  sufficient  to 
determine  the  practicability  of  other  plans  whicii  may  come  before 
the  people  hereafter,  and  we,  therefore,  deem  it  of  great  importance 
that  the  work  of  making  examinations  be  continued,  and  that  the 
most  searching  and  thorough  examinations  be  made  of  that  portion 
of  the  district  embracing  Cache  Slough,  the  mouth  of  the  Sacra- 
mento River,  and  those  sloughs  emptying  into  the  San  Joaquin  and 
Mokelumne  Rivers.  This  work  is  necessary,  in  order  to  complete 
and  perfect  the  information  so  far  gained  in  regard  to  this  district. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

Inasmuch  as  the  report  of  the  Engineers  is  adverse  to  the  con- 
struction of  the  works,  as  provided  for  in  the  Act,  and  as  it  demon- 
strates the  futility  of  constructing  any  works  of  a  relief  nature  in  this 
district  while  such  are  exposed  to  the  disastrous  consequences  which 
might  follow  relief  measures  undertaken  by  other  districts,  in  the 
control  of  which  we  have  no  voice,  we,  therefore,  recommend  that  no 
legislation  be  had  with  a  view  of  constructing  any  works  of  this 
nature  until  such  a  time  as  a  Board  of  comi)etent  engineers  shall 
have  examined  into  and  reported  on  a  scheme  that  shall  embrace  the 
question  of  relief  and  reclamation,  with  all  its  corollaries.  Further- 
more, as  the  mining  debris  in  the  Sacramento  River  and  its  tributa- 
ries forms  an  important  factor  in  the  consideration  of  all  questions 
pertaining  to  a  solution  of  this  problem,  and  as  such  brings  the  inter- 
ests of  a  large  branch  of  the  mining  industries  of  the  State  in  direct 
relation  to  those  interests  requiring  relief  and  protection  ;  and  as  the 
other  districts  are  directly  interested  with  this  district  in  this  and  all 
questions  of  relief,  although  the  latter  receive  direct  nearly  all  the 
debris  brought  down  by  the  Feather  and  American  Rivers  and  their 
tributaries,  and  as,  on  account  of  this  debris,  the  problem  of  improv- 
ing the  capacity  of  the  Sacramento  River  is  rendered  more  difhcult, 
and  is  Avithout  a  precedent;  we,  therefore,  further  recommend,  that 
all  the  lowlands  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  that  need,  or  may  need, 
reclamation  or  relief  works  be  embraced  in  one  district,  under  one 
control,  that  complete  examinations  may  be  undertaken  to  deter- 
mine tlie  most  practicable  and  advantageous  mode  of  relief  of  the 
whole  ;  provided,  the  forthcoming  report  of  the  State  Engineer  does 
not  already  cover  this  ground,  which  is  not  to  be  expected,  owing  to 
the  limited  time  he  has  had  in  which  to  make  examinations  adequate 
to  a  solution  of  this  vast  problem. 

Respectfully  submitted,  this  loth  day  of  December,  A.  D.  1879. 

R.  S.  CAREY,  President, 
W.  F.  KNOX, 
R.  S.  EGBERT, 

Board  of  Commissioners. 
Chris,  Green,  Secretary. 


CHIKP  ENGINEER'S  REPORT. 


Chief  Engineer's  Office,  Sacramento  River  Drainage  Dist.,  | 

Sacramento,  November  28th,  1879.      \ 

The  Board  of  Commissioners  Saci'amento  River  Drainage  District: 

Gentlemen  :  By  the  Act  creating  the  Sacramento  River  Drainage 
District,  it  is  made  the  duty  of  the  Engineer  or  Engineers,  to  be 
appointed  by  you,  to  make  a  preliminary  survey  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  tlie  feasibility,  effectiveness,  and  probable  cost  of  the 
works  defined  in  Section  1  of  the  Act,  and,  also,  upon  the  completion 
of  such  surve}^  to  make  a  full  report  thereof  to  your  Board. 

It  is  further  provided  "  that  if  said  Engineers  shall  report  that,  in 
their  opinion,  such  proposed  works  are  not  feasible,  or  will  not  be 
reasonably  effective  for  the  purposes  intended,  or  will  cause  material 
injury  to  Suisun  Bay  or  other  navigable  waters  of  the  State,  or  to  any 
private  lands,  or  that  the  probable  cost  thereof  will  exceed  the  amount 
of  money  for  which  bonds  are  authorized  by  the  Act  to  be  issued, 
then,  and  in  that  event,  no  further  proceedings  shall  be  had  under 
the  Act." 

The  report  of  the  preliminary  survey,  with  the  details  of  the  field 
work  and  the  plans,  sections,  and  calculations  pertaining  thereto,  has 
been  submitted  to  your  Board  under  date  of  June  3d,  1879. 

The  report  now  submitted  is  with  reference  to  the  general  results 
of  the  survey,  and  the  conclusions  deduced  therefrom  with  regard  tO' 
the  feasibility,  efficiency,  and  probable  cost  of  the  works  proposed. 

This  report,  by  consent  of  your  Board,  has  been  deferred  until  cer- 
tain data,  now  furnished,  and  necessary  for  the  solution  of  the  ques- 
tions involved,  could  be  obtained  from  the  State  Engineer. 

THE   object    and   NATURE   OF   THE    PROPOSED    WORKS. 

The  object  of  the  proposed  works,  as  defined  in  the  first  section  of 
the  Act  creating  the  drainage  district,  is  to  prevent  overflow  of  the 
lands  adjacent  to  the  river,  by  "  draining  the  surplus  waters  of  the 
Sacramento  River,  and  the  waters  flowing  from  the  east  side  of  the 
Coast  Range  of  Mountains,  in  the  counties  of  Yolo  and  Solano,  inta 
Suisun  Bay." 

It  is  provided  in  the  same  section  that  "said  object  shall  be  eflected 
by  the  construction  of  the  following  works,  to  wit:  A  main  canal, 
leading  from  the  Sacramento  River,  at  or  near  the  place  called 
Charleston,  or  Gray's  Bend,  in  Yolo  County,  and  running  in  a  south- 
erly and  southwesterly  direction  to  the  basin  of  Nurse's  Slough,  in 
Solano  County,  and  thence  to  Suisun  Bay;  the  waters  coming  from 
the  Coast  Range  of  Mountains,  from  Cache  Creek  southerly,  to  be 
diverted  and  turned  into  said  canal ;  also,  in  connection  therewith, 
an  auxiliary  canal,  if  necessary,  leading  from  the  Sacramento  River, 


near  the  mouth  of  the  American  River,  to  said  main  canal ;  also, 
such  auxiliarj^  works  as  may  be  necessary  for  constructing  or  pro- 
tecting said  canals,  or  for  rendering  them  effective." 

THE   PROPOSED  CANAL   NOT   A   DRAINAGE  CANAL. 

It  may  be  here  stated,  to  correct  a  popular  misapprehension  as  to 
the  object  and  nature  of  the  proposed  works,  that  the  location  of  the 
main  canal  must  depend  on  the  hight  of  the  head  at  junction  with 
the  river,  and  on  the  slope  necessary  to  give  a  safe  velocity  to  the 
current,  with  as  light  a  cut  as  possible  through  the  Montezuma  Hills, 
and  that  the  location  of  the  canal  cannot,  therefore,  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, be  at  such  level  as  to  drain  the  tule  lands  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river,  nor  is  there  any  provision  made  to  drain  the  waters 
from  those  lands  in  case  of  overflow. 

THE    AUXILIARY   CANAL. 

An  auxiliary  canal  from  the  mouth  of  the  American  River  to  the 
junction  with  the  main  canal  would  be  about  ten  miles  in  length, 
extending  across  the  low  tule  lands  on  the  west  of  the  Sacramento, 
with  levees  from  twelve  to  nineteen  feet  in  hight. 

In  case  of  overflow  from  Cache  Creek,  or  the  Sacramento  River 
above  the  mouth  of  the  American,  these  levees  would  be  either  car- 
ried away  or  would  dam  up  the  waters  as  far  as  Knight's  Landing, 
forming  a  deep  lake,  without  drainage,  over  twenty  miles  in  length 
and  several  miles  in  width. 

The  construction  of  the  auxiliarj^  canal  would,  therefore,  in  my 
opinion,  be  warranted  only  on  the  assumption  that  by  means  of  the 
proposed  works  the  waters  of  the  Sacramento,  and  in  the  main  canal, 
would  always,  and  during  all  floods,  be  restrained  within  their  banks, 
a  result  not  likely  to  be  attained  by  any  system  of  Avorks  which  may 
be  devised. 

Aside  from  the  questions  of  cost  and  risk,  there  are  other  reasons 
which  would  render  the  construction  of  the  auxiliary  canal  unad- 
visable  and  imi)racticable. 

The  difference  in  the  flood-hights  at  the  heads  of  the  main  and 
auxiliary  canals  is  about  eleven  feet;  the  distance  from  the  head  of 
the  main  canal  to  the  junction  is  about  22  miles,  and  from  the  junc- 
tion to  the  head  of  the  auxiliary  canal,  about  10  miles. 

A  grade  of  six  inches  to  the  mile,  in  the  main  canal,  would,  there- 
fore, bring  the  point  of  junction  on  a  level  with  the  head  of  the  aux- 
iliary canal,  and,  in  order  to  insure  a  proper  fall  to  the  latter,  the 
main  canal  should  have  a  fall  of  at  least  nine  inches  to  the  mile, 
increasing  the  cut  through  the  Montezuma  Hills  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  render  the  construction  of  the  works  practically  impossible. 
The  auxiliary  canal  may,  therefore,  be  dismissed  from  consideration, 
and  the  i)roposed  works  will  be  limited  to  the  main  canal  and  the 
works  necessary  for  its  security  and  protection. 

ON   THE   FEASIBILITY    AND   EFFECTIVENESS   OF   THE    PROPOSED    WORKS. 

The  purpose  to  be  accomplished  is  the  prevention  of  overflow,  and 
in  order  that  the  proposed  works  may  be  feasible  and  effective  for 
that  purpose,  it  must  be  possible,  with  a  reasonable  assurance  of 


8 

safety  and  permanence,  and  under  circumstances  now  prevailing,  or 
likely  to  prevail  in  the  future,  to  accomplish  the  following  results: 

First — To  divert  and  turn  into  the  main  canal  the  surplus  waters 
of  the  Sacramento  River. 

Second — To  divert  and  turn  into  the  main  canal  the  waters  now 
draining  from  the  Coast  Range  into  the  tule  lands  on  the  west  of  the 
river. 

Third — To  convey  the  waters  turned  into  the  main  canal  into 
Suisun  Bay. 

These  three  results  are,  in  a  measure,  independent  of  each  other, 
and  will  be  considered  separately. 

THE  DIVERSION  OF  THE   SURPLUS  WATERS  OF  THE  SACRAMENTO   RIVER 
INTO   THE   MAIN    CANAL. 

As  regards  the  best  disposition  of  surplus  waters,  whether  by  diver- 
sion or  concentration  within  the  channel  of  the  stream,  there  exists 
a  difference  of  opinion  among  authorities  in  hydraulic  science. 

By  some  it  is  maintained  that  at  or  near  the  time  of  maximum 
discharge  the  variation  of  velocity  is  sensibly  equal  to  the  variation 
of  discharge;  that,  therefore,  a  large  variation  of  iiood-discharge, 
whether  by  reduction  or  increase,  is  attended  by  no  sensible  change 
of  volume  or  hight,  and  that  this  fact,  independently  of  other  con- 
siderations, is  sufficient  to  condemn  all  schemes  for  the  improvement 
of  rivers  by  the  division  of  their  waters  into  separate  channels. 

There  are  others  who  admit  the  undoubted  fact  that  the  surplus 
waters,  if  confined  within  the  channel  by  raising  the  levees  to  a  suf- 
ficient hight,  would  occupy  a  much  less  space  than  when  diverted 
into  a  separate  channel,  but  maintain  that  the  comparative  merits 
of  the  two  systems  cannot  be  settled  by  any  general  law,  and  must, 
in  any  particular  case,  be  determined  by  considerations  of  practica- 
bility, cost,  and  security. 

The  discussion,  in  the  present  case,  of  the  comparative  merits  of 
the  concentration  or  diversion  of  flood-waters,  for  the  prevention  of 
inundation,  would  involve  the  consideration  of  what,  under  circum- 
stances likely  to  occur  in  the  future,  would  be  the  flood-hights  and 
discharges  at  different  sections  of  the  river,  and  the  hight  and  cost 
of  the  levees  necessary  for  the  prevention  of  overflow,  ciuestions 
which  the  data  at  my  disposal  do  not  enable  me  to  decide,  and  on 
which  I  am  not  called  upon  to  express  an  opinion. 

If  a  report  were  required,  not  only  on  the  feasibility  and  efficiency 
of  the  works  proposed,  but  on  the  advisability  of  constructing  them, 
under  the  conditions  prescribed  by  law,  and  in  advance  of  the  forth- 
coming report  of  the  State  and  Consulting  Engineers,  I  should  give 
it  as  my  opinion  that,  to  enable  the  owners  of  the  land  to  be  pro- 
tected, and  the  capitalists  who  are  expected  to  advance  funds  on  the 
security  of  the  lands,  to  judge  intelligently  on  the  merits  of  one  sys- 
tem of  works,  they  should  be  furnished  with  the  data  to  enable  them 
to  understand  whether  the  purpose  in  view  might  not  bo  accomplished 
with  greater  certainty  and  at  less  cost  under  other  systems,  and  that 
no  action  under  the  provisions  of  the  Act  creating  the  Sacramento 
River  Drainage  District  would  be  advisable  prior  to  a  thorough 
investigation  as  to  the  system  best  adapted  to  the  protection  of  all 
the  lands  bordering  on  the  Sacramento  River,  considered  as  a  con- 
nected whole,  and  not  in  independent  parts.     As,  however,  by  the 


terms  of  the  law,  this  report  must  be  confined  to  the  absohite,  rather 
than  to  the  relative  merits  of  the  proposed  system  of  works,  such 
subjects  only,  will  be  considered  as  have  a  direct  bearing  on  the  ques- 
tions proposed  for  solution. 

THE   AMOUNT   OF   THE   SURPLUS   WATERS   OF   THE   SACRAMENTO    RIVER. 

Under  the  provisions  of  the  Act  creating  the  Sacramento  River 
Drainage  District  it  is  pro])osed  to  construct,  at  or  near  Gray's  Bend 
on  that  river,  a  permanent  outlet,  the  discharge  through  which, 
under  circumstances  likely  to  occur  in  the  future,  will  be  sufficient 
to  reduce  the  flood-discharge  at  all  sections  below  the  outlet  to  such 
extent  as  to  afford  a  reasonable  security  against  overflow,  and,  as  no 
provision  is  made  for  raising  the  levees,  the  reduction  of  flood-di.s- 
charge  must  be  such  that  the  flood-surface  of  the  river  will  be  con- 
fined to  a  safe  distance  below  the  line  of  the  top  of  the  levees  as  they 
now  stand,  or  as  they  would  stand  if  repaired  and  perfected  to  their 
present  hight.  To  determine  what,  under  any  special  conditions, 
would  be  the  reduction  of  flood-discharge  necessary  to  bring  about 
the  requisite  reduction  of  flood-hights,  it  would  be  necessary  to  know 
the  amount  of  the  discharge  to  bo  reduced  and  the  safe  discharge  to 
which  it  is  to  be  reduced.  The  feasibility  of  the  diversion  of  the 
surplus  waters,  and  the  effectiveness  of  the  works  proposed  for  that 
puri)Ose,  will  depend  on  the  amount  of  the  requisite  reduction  of 
discharge,  and  the  only  practical  metliod  of  calculating  this  amount 
is  that  adopted  by  Humphreys  and  AW)ott  for  the  purpose  of  deter- 
mining the  discharge  through  a  proposed  outlet  at  Bonnet-Carre 
Bend,  which  would  reduce  the  flood-hights  of  the  Mississippi  River 
to  a  safe  distance  below  the  level  of  the  top  of  the  existing  levees. 

As  a  measure  of  the  flood-discharges  to  be  provided  against  in  the 
future,  the  maximum  discharge  of  the  flood  of  1858  was  adopted. 

The  diflerence  between  the  maximum  discharges  of  1858  and  1851, 
amounting  to  150,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  was  assumed  as  the  reduc- 
tion of  the  discharge  necessary  to  reduce  the  flood-hights  of  1858  to 
those  of  1851. 

The  flood-surface  of  the  river  in  1851  stood  1  foot  below  the  level  of 
the  top  of  the  existing  levees,  and  it  was  assumed  that  a  further  reduc- 
tion of  hight,  to  the  amount  of  oyV  feet,  would  be  necessary  for  the  sta- 
bility of  the  banks  and  levees.  The  reduction  of  discharge,  to  reduce 
the  hight  3iV  feet,  was  assumed,  from  experimental  data,  to  be  150,000 
cubic  feet  per  second,  making  the  total  reduction  of  discharge  oOO,000 
cubic  feet  per  second,  or  over  one-fourth  of  the  maximum  discharge 
of  the  river,  and  this  amount  was  assumed  also  as  the  outlet  discharge 
which  would  be  necessary  to  i)roduce  the  required  reduction  of  the  flood- 
discharge  and  surface  hight,  not  only  at  the  Bonnet-Carre  Bend,  but  for 
"  many  miles  above  and  l)elow."  The  amount  of  the  outlet  discharge 
was  so  great  as  to  warrant  the  o{)inion  that  the  opening  of  an  outlet  of 
the  requisite  dimensions  would  nat  be  advisable  on  account  of  the  ex- 
tent and  costly  character  of  the  works  for  diverting  and  disposiiig  of 
the  surplus  waters;  the  injury  to  the  navigation  of  the  lake  into  which 
the  waters  would  be  conducted;  the  great  dimensions  of  the  outlet 
and  the  impossibility  of  i)reventing  the  current  from  excavating  the 
bed,  although  of  clay  from  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  in  thickness;  and 
the  danger  that  the  outlet  would  ultimately  become  a  main  branch 
of  the  river,  seriously  impairing  the  navigation  at  its  present  mouth. 
2' 


10 

The  general  conclusion  reached  bj'  Humphre3\s  and  Abbott,  with 
regard  to  outlets,  as  a  means  of  protection  against  floods  on  the  Mis- 
sissipjii  River,  was  to  the  effect  that  they  "  are  of  great  utility,  as  far  as 
the  river  is  concerned,  but  are  virtually  inipractical)le  from  the  diffi- 
culty of  disposing  of  the  water,"  and  that  their  observations  demon- 
strated ''with  all  the  certainty  of  which  the  subject  is  capable,  the 
disastrous  consequences  that  must  follow  the  resort  to  this  means  of 
protection." 

The  opinion  as  regards  the  advantages  to  the  Mississippi  are,  how- 
ever, based  on  conditions  which  do  not  exist  in  the  case  of  the  Sac- 
ramento, and  the  great  utility  of  an  outlet,  so  far  as  any  river  is 
concerned,  may  be  doubted  in  a  case  like  that  above  cited,  where  the 
amount  of  the  surplus  water  is  so  great  that  there  would  be  danger 
that  the  outlet  would  become  a  main  branch  of  the  river,  and  seri- 
ously impair  the  navigation  at  its  present  mouth. 

THE  AMOUNT  OF  THE  SURPLUS  WATERS  OF  THE  SACRAMENTO  RIVER  DURING 
THE  FLOOD  OF  MARCH,  1879. 

The  only  data  concerning  the  discharge  of  the  Sacramento  River 
are  the  measurements  by  the  State  Engineer,  during  the  flood  of  the 
past  year,  and  the  amount  of  the  surplus  waters  during  that  flood  is 
the  only  basis  for  an  estimate  of  what  will  be  the  amount  under  cir- 
cumstances likely  to  occur  in  the  future. 

The  elevations  of  the  top  of  the  levees  above  the  flood-surface  of 
the  river,  at  different  points,  from  Butte  City,  173  miles  above  New 
York  Landing,  to  Collinsville,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  were  as 
follows : 

At  Butte  City  . 1.9  feet. 

At  Princeton 2.0  feet. 

At  Colusa 2.2  feet. 

At  Butte  Slough 2.3  feet. 

At  Meridan 1.5  feet. 

At  Winn's  Landing 1.0  feet. 

At  Gray's  Bend. 2.6  feet. 

At  inoutli  of  Feather  River 1.6  feet. 

At  break  above  Gray  and  Shaw's 1.9  feet. 

At  Sacramento  City 2.5  feet. 

At  Clarksburg 2.9  feet. 

At  Collinsvilie 1.6  feet. 

As  the  levees  are  practically  adapted  to  the  Hood-hights  of  the 
river,  these  elevations  illustrate  the  fact  that,  within  certain  limits, 
a  safe  discharge  at  one  section  is  attended  with  a  safe  discharge  at  all 
others,  although  the  amount  of  those  discharges  may  be  very  differ- 
ent, but  it  is  customary  to  assume  that  under  a  safe  discharge  the 
water  surface  will  be  at  least  three  feet  below  the  level  of  the  levees. 

The  distances  from  Colusa  to  points  named  below  are  as  follows: 

To  Knight's  Landing 56  miles. 

To  Gray's  Bend 60  miles. 

To  n^outh  of  Feather  River 70  miles. 

To  Gray  and  Shaw's  Station 75  miles. 

To  mouth  of  Atnerican  River 90  miles. 

To  Sacramento  City 91  miles. 

To  Frceport 104  miles. 

To  Rio  Vista ....132  miles. 


11 

Knight's  Landing  is  at  the  upper  limit  of  the  Sacramento  River 
Drainage  District,  and,  for  reasons  hereinafter  stated,  is  the  proper 
point  for  the  proposed  outlet. 

During  the  March  flood  of  1879  a  large  portion  of  the  flood-waters 
of  the  upper  river  and  its  tributaries  discharged  into  an  immense 
basin  east  of  the  Sacramento  and  between  that  river  and  the  Feather, 
and  flowing  through  that  ]>asin  were  returned,  with  the  waters  of  the 
Feather,  into  the  Sacramento  River. 

Knight's  Landing  is  on  a  ridge  of  land  which  intercepts  and  turns 
into  the  river  all  tlie  waters  on  the  western  side,  and  hence  the  whole 
of  the  flood-waters  of  the  uj)per  rivers  were  returned  into  the  chan- 
nel between  Knight's  Landing  and  the  mouth  of  Feather  River. 

A  large  portion  of  these  waters  were  again  diverted  through  cre- 
vasses, between  Knight's  Landing  and  Freeport,  into  the  tule  basin 
on  the  west  of  the  river,  and,  with  the  waters  of  Cache,  Putah,  and 
other  streams  from  the  Coast  Range,  were  discharged  through  that 
basin  and  Cache  Slough  into  the  river  above  Rio  Vista. 

As  none  of  the  waters  escaped  below  Feather  River  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Sacramento,  the  whole  of  the  flood-waters  of  the  river 
were  discharged  either  through  the  channel  at  Freeport,  thirteen 
miles  below  Sacramento  City,  or  through  crevasses  opening  into  the 
tule  basin  on  the  western  side,  between  Knight's  Landing  and  Free- 
port. 

If,  therefore,  the  surplus  waters  of  the  river  during  any  flood  are 
those  which  cannot  be  conflned  to  a  safe  distance  below  the  top  of 
tlie  levees,  and  during  the  March  flood  of  1879  the  discharge  through 
tlie  channel  could  not  have  been  safely  increased,  the  crevasse  dis- 
charge between  Knight's  Landing  and  Freeport  may  be  assuined  as 
the  measure  of  the  surplus  waters,  under  the  special  conditions  of 
that  flood. 

The  amount  of  the  crevasse  discharge  between  Knight's  Landing 
and  Freeport  Station  may  be  estimated  as  follows: 

The  maximum  discharge  through  the  tule  basin  was  measured 
under  the  piling  of  the  California  Pacific  Railroad,  which  extends 
from  Sacramento  City  westward  across  the  basin. 

This  discharge  amounts  to  66,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  and  the 
whole  of  the  water  was  from  Cache  Creek,  and  from  the  crevasses 
between  Knight's  Landing  and  Sacramento  City. 

The  maximum  discharge  of  Cache  Creek  occurred  on  the  oth  of 
March,  seven  days  before  the  maximum  discharge  under  the  railroad 
pilings,  and  eight  days  before  the  maximum  discharge  at  Freeport, 
and  was  calculated  from  the  measured  area  of  the  high  water  section, 
the  wet  perimeter  and  the  slope  of  the  bed.  By  Jackson's  formula 
it  amounted  to  35,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  and  by  the  ordinary  for- 
mula to  over  40,000  cubic  feet.  It  was  estimated,  approximately,  by 
the  State  Engineer,  at  34,000  cubic  feet,  from  independent  data. 

Assuming  the  maximum  discharge  of  Cache  Creek  at  35,000  cubic 
feet  per  second,  and  that  the  maximum  discharge  under  the  railroad 
pilings  could  not  have  exceeded  the  sum  of  the  maximum  discharges 
from  Cache  Creek  and  from  the  crevasses  between  Knight's  Landing 
and  Sacramento  City,  the  latter  discharge  was  at  least  31,000  cubic 
feet  per  second,  and  as  Cache  Creek  rises  and  falls  very  rapidly,  it  is 
probable  that  the  crevasse  discharge  was  over  40,000  cubic  feet,  a 
result  whicl]  may  be  checked  by  an  independent  method  of  calcula- 
tion based  on  the  following  premises : 


12 

The  amount  of  the  maximum  discharge  at  a  lower  section  of  a 
stream,  at  any  given  time,  will  depend  not  only  on  the  discharges  at 
that  time  at  different  points  above,  but  on  the  positions  of  the  outlets 
and  inlets,  and  the  velocities  of  transmission  and  the  times  of  arrival 
of  the  flood-waves  from  the  different  sources  of  supply. 

When,  however,  the  discharges  are  all  uniform  for  a  period  of  time 
sufficient  for  their  transmission  between  the  extreme  points  of  dis- 
charge, the  discharge,  at  a  given  time,  at  the  lowest  point,  will  be 
nearly  the  difference  between  the  sums  of  the  discharges,  at  that 
time,  of  the  outlets  and  tributaries  above.  During  the  March  flood 
of  1879  current  measurements  were  made  at  four  points  on  the  river, 
and  the  maximum  discharges  at  those  points  were  as  follows,  in  cubic 
feet  per  second : 

At  Colusa 62,000 

At  Kiiin;ht's  Landing 23,000 

At  Gray  and  Shaw's 66,000 

AtFreeport 69,400 

The  Freeport  maximum  discharge  occurred  on  the  13th  of  March, 
and  the  water  was  supplied  through  the  channel  at  Knight's  Land- 
ing, and  from  the  Feather  and  American  Rivers  and  basins. 

The  discharges  from  these  sources  on  the  13th  day  of  March  were 
as  follows,  in  cubic  feet  per  second : 

From  Knight's  Landing 19,500 

From  Feather  River  and  basin 66,800 

From  American  River  and  basin 31,000 

Total 116,300 

The  discharge  at  Knight's  Landing  is  from  actual  measurement, 
and  the  discharges  from  the  Feather  and  American  Rivers  and  basins 
from  measurements,  or  estimates  based  on  measurements,  by  the 
State  Engineer. 

The  gauge  readings  at  Knight's  Landing,  Gray,  and  Shaw's,  and 
Freeport,  did  not  vary  fV  of  a  foot  from  the  11th  to  the  14th  of  March, 
and  the  discharges  at  those  points  were,  therefore,  practically'  uni- 
form during  that  period. 

Assuming  that  no  new  crevasses  were  opened  or  increased  about 
the  13th  of  March,  the  crevasse  discharge  was  uniform,  because  the 
hight  of  the  adjacent  river  surface  did  not  change. 

As  the  river  discharge  at  Gray  and  Shaw's,  below  Feather  River, 
and  at  Freeport,  below  the  American  River,  remained  constant  for 
several  days,  no  great  cliange  of  discharge  could  have  occurred  either 
from  Feather  River  and  basin  or  American  River  and  basin. 

Under  these  assumptions  the  discharge  at  Freeport  would  have 
been  11G,3(J0  cul^ic  feet  ])er  second,  had  there  been  no  crevasse  dis- 
charge, and  as  the  actual  measured  discharge  was  69,400  cubic  feet, 
the  crevasse  discharge  was  46,900  cubic  feet  per  second. 

The  result  in  the  former  estimate  would  have  been  the  same,  by 
assuming  the  Cache  Creek  discharge  at  19,100  cubic  feet  per  second. 

The  discharge  from  crevasses  between  Gray  and  Shaw's  and  Free- 
port  may  be  estimated  in  a  similar  manner. 

The  water  flowing  through  the  channel  at  Freeport,  March  13th, 
was  from  the  cliannel  at  Gray  and  Shaw's,  29  miles  above,  and  from 
the  American  River  and  basin,  15  miles  above  Freeport. 


13 

If  no  Avatcr  had  escaped  through  crevasses  below  Gray  and  Shaw's, 
the  Freoport  discharge  would  have  been  as  follows,  in  cubic  feet  per 
second: 

From  Gray  and  Shaw's  (gauged) 60,500 

From  American  River  and  basin 30,900 

Total 1 91,400 

The  actual  discharge  was 69,400 

The  crevasse  discharge  between  Gray  and  Shaw's  and  Freeport 
was,  therefore,  22,000  cubic  feet  per  second. 

These  estimates  are  based  on  data  which  may  be,  to  some  extent, 
incorrect,  but  they  are  sufhcient  to  warrant  the  opinion  that  the 
crevasse  discharge  between  Knight's  Landing  and  Freeport,  during 
the  flood  of  March,  1879,  was  at  least  80,000,  and  probably  over 
40,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  and  it  is  sufficient  for  all  the  purposes 
of  this  report  to  assume  it  at  the  former  figure. 

Supposing,  however,  the  crevasse  closed,  and  the  crevasse  discharge 
concentrated  through  an  outlet  at  Knight's  Landing,  would  the  safe 
discharge  of  the  channel  below  and  the  amount  of  the  surplus  waters 
have  remained  the  same? 

As  the  flood-surface  of  the  river  was  on  a  stand  for  several  days,  it 
may  be  assumed,  with  sufficient  accuracy,  that  each  outlet  reduced 
the  discharge  of  the  river  below  by  an  amount  equal  to  the  outlet 
discharge. 

If,  therefore,  the  whole  crevasse  discharge  had  been  concentrated 
through  one  outlet  at  Knight's  Landing,  the  reduction  of  discharge 
would  have  been  the  same  at  sections  below  the  lowest  crevasse,  but 
greater  at  sections  above,  and  the  effect  on  the  height  of  the  lower 
sections  at  least  nearly  the  same. 

At  sections  near  Gray's  Bend  the  reduction  of  discharge  would  be 
much  greater,  but  such  reduction  could  not  have  its  normal  effect  in 
reducing  the  depth,  unless  a  corresponding  reduction  of  the  flood- 
hight  should  take  place  below. 

The  maximum  discharge,  for  instance,  at  Knight's  Landing,  was 
reduced  over  50  per  cent,  by  the  creva.sse  discharge  above,  yet  the 
flood-hight  was  but  little  aflected  on  account  of  the  bight  of  the 
river  at  the  mouth  of  Feather,  due  to  the  largely  increased  discharge 
at  that  point. 

It  must  also  be  considered  that  if  all  the  crevasses  from  Knight's 
Landing  to  the  mouth  of  Feather  had  been  closed,  the  discharge 
below  the  mouth  would  not  probably  have  exceeded  80,000  cubic 
feet  per  second,  and  the  reduction  of  this  discharge  by  30,000  cubic 
feet  would,  for  reasons  hereafter  stated,  have  resulted  in  an  elevation 
of  the  bed  which  might  have  neutralized  the  eft'ect  of  any  diminu- 
tion of  depth  which  might  have  followed  the  diminution  of  discharge. 

The  crevasse  discharge  of  the  river  below  Knight's  Landirig  may, 
therefore,  be  assumed  as  the  measure  of  an  outlet-discharge  at  that 
point,  which  would  have  been  necessary  to  have  maintained  the  flood- 
surface  of  the  river  at  from  I2  feet  to  2  feet  below  the  top  of  the 
levees  during  the  March  flood  of  1879. 


14 

THE  AMOUNT  OF  THE  SURPLUS  WATERS   OF   THE   SACRAMENTO    RIVER   DUR- 
ING THE  FLOOD  OF  1878. 

No  measurements  of  discharge  were  made  during  this  flood,  but 
the  flood-surface  stood,  at  a  point  near  Freeport,  lyV  feet  higher 
than  during  the  flood  of  1879. 

At  Free])ort  during  the  latter  flood  an  increase  of  5,000  cubic  feet 
per  second  caused  a  rise  of  1  foot  near  the  time  of  high  water,  and 
the  flood-discharge  at  Freeport  during  the  flood  of  1878  may,  there- 
fore, be  assumed  at  8,000  cubic  feet  per  second  greater  than  that  of 
1879. 

The  amount  of  water  running  through  the  tule  basin  on  the  west 
of  the  river  was  greater  than  in  1879,  and  caused  great  damage  to  tlie 
raih'oad  embankments  as  well  as  to  private  property. 

If  this  increase  of  discharge  through  the  tules,  due  to  the  crevasse 
discharge  from  the  rivers,  be  assumed  at  6,000  cubic  feet  per  second 
greater  than  in  1879,  the  surplus  waters  in  1878  would  have  been 
14,000  cubic  feet  per  second  greater  than  in  the  flood  of  1879,  or  at 
least  45,000  cubic  feet  per  second. 

THE    AMOUNT    OF    THE    SURPLUS    WATERS    UNDER    DISCHARGES    LIKELY 
TO   OCCUR    IN   THE   FUTURE. 

The  amount  of  the  maximum  discharge,  and  of  the  surplus  waters 
of  the  river,  will  depend  upon  circumstances  which  cannot,  at  the 
present  time,  be  foreseen  or  controlled;  but  it  is  certain  that,  under 
conditions  which  may  probably  occur,  this  discharge  may  be  largely 
increased. 

The  Sacramento,  Feather,  and  American  Rivers,  at  high  water 
stages,  now  communicate  directly  with  immense  reservoir  basins, 
which  under  ordinary  circumstances  hold  back  the  flood-waters  and 
modify  and  reduce  the  flood-discharges. 

At  high  water  of  the  flood  of  1879  the  contents  of  the  basin  between 
the  Feather  and  upper  Sacramento  Rivers  amounted  to  45,000,000,000 
cubic  feet,  and  those  of  the  American  River  to  over  17,500,000,000. 

With  a  flow  of  40,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  thirteeen  days  would 
be  required  to  fill  the  former  and  five  days  for  the  latter.  During  the 
flood  of  March,  1879,  the  maximum  discharge  at  Colusa,  on  the  main 
Sacramento,  was  62,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  and  at  Knight's  Land- 
ing, 56  miles  below,  but  23,000  cubic  feet,  this  great  reduction  being 
due  to  the  diversion  of  a  large  portion  of  the  flood-waters  into  the 
Feather  River  basin. 

A  portion  of  these  waters,  and  of  those  of  the  Feather  and  other 
tributaries,  are  held  back,  and  the  remainder  discharged  into  the 
Sacramento  near  the  mouth  of  the  Feather,  and  this  basin  and  that 
of  the  American  River  exert  an  important  influence  on  the  maxi- 
mum discharge  of  the  river  below. 

If  all  the  waters  of  the  Sacramento  and  its  tributaries  should  be 
confined  within  their  channels,  by  raising  the  levees  to  a  sufticient 
hight,  the  flood-discharge  on  Gray's  Bend  would  be  more  than 
doubled,  and  at  other  sections  largely  increased.  The  amount  of 
this  increase,  under  the  conditions  likely  to  occur  in  the  future,  will 
be  considered  in  the  forthcoming  report  of  the  State  Engineer,  to 
whom  I  am  indebted  for  all  of  the  data  used  in  the  foregoing  dis- 
cussion. 


15 

The  facts  stated  above  are  sufficient  to  warrant  the  opinion  that 
with  regard  to  any  works  which  may  be  now  constructed  to  divert 
the  suri)lus  waters  of  the  Sacramento,  under  circumstances  likely  to 
occur  hereafter,  they  may  be  either  insufficient  for  the  i)uri)0se 
intended,  or  must  be  planned  at  great  cost  to  meet  difficulties  which 
may  never  arise. 

THE   POSSIBILITY  OF  THE    DIVERSION   OF  THE   SURPLUS   WATERS  OF  THE 
SACRAMENTO   THROUGH    AN    OUTLET    AT   OR    NEAR   GRAY's    BEND. 

The  maximum  discharge  at  Knight's  Landing,  near  Gray's  Bend, 
during  the  March  flood  of  1879,  was  but  23,000  cubic  feet  per  second, 
and  would  be  less,  should  the  flood  be  caused  b.y  a  rise  of  the  Ameri- 
ican  and  Feather  Rivers. 

Estimating  the  surplus  waters  of  the  rivers  even  at  30,000  cubic 
feet  per  second,  they  would  exceed  the  whole  flow  of  the  river  adja- 
cent to  the  proposed  outlet,  and  to  effect  the  proposed  diversion,  a 
})ortion  of  the  discharge  must  be  taken  from  the  river  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Feather,  producing  an  up-stream  current,  and  neces- 
sitating a  low  water  instead  of  a  high  water  outlet;  but  even  sup- 
posing the  proposed  diversion  possible,  tlie  elevation  of  the  bed  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Feather,  and  below,  might  neutralize  the  depression 
of  the  surface  due  to  the  reduced  discharge. 

It  is  maintained  by  Humphreys  and  Abbott,  in  their  report  on  the 
Mississippi  River,  that  no  elevation  of  the  bed  from  deposit  of  mate- 
rials can  ever  occur  in  that  river  below  a  practicable  high  water 
outlet,  because  the  waters  are  never  charged  to  their  full  capacity 
with  suspended  matter,  and  the  maximum  power  of  the  current  for 
transporting  the  materials  along  the  bottom  is  never  called  into 
requisition.  The  case  is,  however,  very  different  in  the  Sacramento 
River. 

The  waters  of  the  main  Sacramento  are  comi)aratively  clear,  but 
the  debris  from  the  hydraulic  mines  on  the  upper  waters  of  the 
American  and  Feather  Rivers  is  accumulated  during  the  low  water 
season,  and  the  flood-wave  of  the  waters,  surcharged  with  suspended 
matter,  is  accompanied  by  a  wave  of  materials  transported  along  the 
bottom,  so  that  at  many  points  the  elevation  of  the  bed  is  greatest  at 
the  time  of  highest  water,  both  in  the  upper  and  lower  rivers,  as  is 
shown  by  sections  and  measurements  made  by  Colonel  Mendell,  of 
the  United  States  Engineer  Corps,  and  by  the  State  Engineer. 

The  flood-waters  of  the  Feather  and  American  Rivers  being  now 
surcharged  with  suspended  matter,  the  diversion  of  the  clear  waters 
from  the  Sacramento,  and  the  reduction  of  velocity  at  points  below 
the  outlet,  would  diminish  the  capacity  of  suspension  and  of  trans- 
porting the  materials  along  the  bottom,  and  would  cause  an  elevation 
of  the  bed  at  the  precise  stage  of  water  when  such  elevation  might 
be  attended  Avitli  the  most  disastrous  consequences. 

OPINION  AS   TO    THE    POSSIBILITY  OF    DIVERTING   THE   SURPLUS  WATERS 
OF   THE   SACRAMENTO    INTO   THE    PROPOSED    MAIN    CANAL. 

It  has  been  shown  that  the  amount  of  the  surplus  waters  was  at 
least  30,(X)0  cubic  feet  per  second  during  the  flood  of  1879,  and  greater 
during  that  of  the  preceding  year;  and  that,  under  circumstances 
which  may  probably  occur  in  the  future,  it  may  be  largely  increased. 


16 

And  I  am  of  opinion,  for  the  reasons  stated  above,  that  the  proposed 
diversion  cannot  be  accomplished  by  an  outlet  at  Gray's  Bend,  or 
elsewhere,  even  under  the  conditions  of  such  atlood  as  that  of  March, 
1879. 

THE    DIVERSION    INTO   THE    MAIN    CANAL   OF   THE   WATERS    FROM    THE 
COAST   RANGE,    ON   THE   WEST   OF   THE   SACRAMENTO   VALLEY. 

The  question  now  to  be  considered  is,  whether  these  waters  can  be 
safely  conducted  into,  not  through,  the  main  canal,  the  possibility  of 
conducting  them  safely  to  Suisun  Bay  being  a  subject  of  after  con- 
sideration. 

It  is  characteristic  of  all  the  streams,  large  and  small,  from  the 
Coast  Range  on  the  west  of  the  Sacramento  Valley,  that  owing  to 
their  steep  slopes  and  the  rapid  drainage  of  the  rain-fall  they  bring 
down  to  the  margin  of  the  foot-hills  large  quantities  of  materials, 
wntli  which  they  build  out  their  beds  and  channels  into  the  valley, 
on  tongues  of  land  elevated  above  the  level  of  the  adjacent  country. 

As  the  elevation  of  the  beds  increases  the  slope  and  velocity 
diminish,  and  the  volume  of  the  water  increases  until  the  stream 
is  diverted  into  another  channel,  and  the  same  process  is  again 
commenced. 

The  principal  streams  flowing  into  the  tule  basin  are  Cache  and 
Putah  Creeks.  Cache  Creek  formerly  emptied  into  the  Sacramento 
River  at  Knight's  Landing,  the  old  bed  being  still  visible  at  that  point. 
The  tongue  or  ridge  of  land  at  that  point,  which  now  divides  the 
upper  and  lower  tule  basins  on  the  west  of  the  river,  was  doubtless 
formed  from  deposits  from  Cache  Creek,  which  now  sinks  into  the  tules 
5  miles  to  the  south  and  10  feet  below  the  level  of  its  former  banks. 
The  average  fall  of  the  present  bed,  from  a  point  6>  miles  above  its 
junction  with  the  proposed  line  of  the  main  canal,  is  over  4  feet  to 
the  mile. 

The  area  of  the  high  water  section  March  5th,  1879,  at  that  point, 
was  3,558  square  feet;  the  mean  depth,  2oy^o%  feet;  the  slope  of  the 
bed  1  foot  in  1,000;  the  mean  velocity,  from  these  data  by  Jackson's 
formula,  10  feet  per  second,  or  about  7  miles  per  hour,  and  the  dis- 
charge 35,000  cubic  feet  per  second. 

This  discharge  was  estimated  from  other  formula,  with  the  same 
data,  by  Mr.  Pierson,  at  40,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  and  by  the  State 
Engineers,  from  independent  data,  approximately,  at  34,000  cubic  feet. 

Putah  Creek,  at  one  time,  discharged  into  the  tules,  about  4  miles 
south  and  5  miles  east  of  its  present  channel,  the  tongue  of  land 
formed  by  the  deposited  materials  extending  to  within  3  miles  of  the 
Sacramento  River,  the  width  of  the  tongue,  judging  from  the  con- 
tour line  of  the  main  canal,  being  over  2'>  miles. 

From  a  point  11]  miles  above  the  intersection  of  the  present  chan- 
nel with  the  line  of  the  main  canal,  the  average  slope  is  over  4  feet  to 
the  mile. 

At  that  point  the  flood-waters  are  all  confined  within  the  banks; 
the  area  of  the  high  water  section  March  5th,  1879,  was  5,750  square 
feet;  the  main  depth,  SO^^  feet ;  the  wet  perimeter  274  feet,  and  the 
slope  of  the  bed  1  foot  in  a  thousand. 

The  measured  surface  velocity, 5 j%  feet  below  high-water,  was  12y'V 
feet,  and  the  mean,  estimated  at  ^%\  of  the  surface  velocity,  was  10^ 
feet  per  second. 


17 

The  hij^li  water  mean  velocitj',  estimated  by  Jackson's  formula, 
was  llyV  feet  per  second,  or  over  8  miles  per  hour,  and  the  maximum 
discharoe  65,C0O  cubic  feet  per  second. 

This  discharge  was  estimated  by  Mr.  Pierson,  from  the  same  data, 
at  77,CCO  cubic  feet  per  second,  or  8,CC0  cubic  feet  more  than  the 
maximum  channel  discharge  of  the  river  at  Freeport,  below  Sacra- 
mento City. 

In  order  that  the  materials  brought  down  by  these  streams  may 
not  cause  a  continual  elevation  of  their  beds,  their  velocities  must  be 
such  as  to  carry  down  the  materials  into  the  main  canal,  and  the 
velocity  of  the  main  canal  must  be  sufficient  to  transport  the  mate- 
rials from  the  creeks  into  Suisun  Bay,  a  result  which  in  neither  case 
can  possibly  be  accomplished,  because  any  increase  of  the  velocity  of 
the  creeks,  from  confinement  within  the  levees,  would  only  result  in 
bringing  down  the  coarser  materials  still  nearer  the  line  of  the  canal; 
and  as  the  slope  of  the  canal  cannot,  Avithout  increasing  the  cut 
through  the  Montezuma  Hills  to  an  impracticable  extent,  be  more 
than  4  inches  to  the  mile,  it  cannot  carry  off  the  materials  brought 
down  from  the  beds  of  the  creeks  with  a  slope  of  over  4  feet  to  the 
mile. 

I  am,  therefore,  of  the  opinion  that  the  waters  of  Putah  and  Cache 
Creeks  cannot  be  safely  conveyed  into  the  main  canal,  because  of  the 
continuous  elevation  of  the  bed  of  the  creeks,  and  the  danger  to  the 
levees  of  the  main  canal  at  their  mouths. 

THE  DRAINAGE  THROUGH  THE  MAIN  CANAL  INTO  SUISUN  BAY  OF  THE 
SURPLUS  WATERS  OF  THE  SACRAMENTO  AND  THE  W^ATERS  FROM  THE 
EASTERN   SLOPE   OF   THE    COAST   RANGE. 

On  this  subject  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  speak  were  it  not  for 
the  i)Ossibility  that  an  intercepting  canal  may  be  proposed  hereafter 
under  other  conditions. 

The  difficulty  in  this  case  arises  not  so  much  from  the  cost  and  risk 
of  conveying  each  stream  separately  into  Suisun  Bay,  but  because  the 
waters  from  the  Coast  Range,  and  the  surplus  waters  of  the  river, 
must  all  be  carried  through  the  same  canal. 

The  case  is  very  different  from  the  junction  of  a  main  stream  with 
its  tributaries,  for  the  upper  portion  of  the  canal  might  in  some  cases 
be  dry  at  the  time  of  the  flood-discharges  of  Putah  and  Cache  Creeks, 
and  the  waters  from  those  creeks  would,  for  a  time,  run  both  toward 
the  Sacramento  River  and  Suisun  Bay,  thus  causing  a  deposit  of  the 
materials  brought  down  from  the  Coast  Range. 

Independently  of  this  consideration  the  comparative  velocities  of 
the  streams  from  the  Coast  Range,  and  of  the  main  canal,  is  such 
that  the  latter  can  never  transport  tlie  materials  brought  into  it,  and 
the  bed  must,  therefore,  rise  until  the  bight  of  the  waters  is  such  as 
to  overflow  the  levees,  and  this  same  objection  will,  in  my  opinion, 
apply  to  the  construction  of  any  canal  with  a  view  to  intercept  and 
turn  the  waters  of  the  Coast  Range  from  the  present  channels. 

In  the  case  of  small  canals  and  mining  ditches,  the  sediment  may 
be  discharged  througli  waste-gates,  bat  tliis  could  not  be  effected  in 
larger  canals,  unless  at  great  expense  and  risk. 


18 

COST   OF    PROPOSED    WORKS. 

B}'  the  terms  of  the  law  the  cost  must  not  exceed  $5  per  acre  on  the 
lands  within  the  district.  The  number  of  acres  within  the  district 
is  as  follows: 

In  Sacramento  County l()fi,121.80 

In  Solano  County 49.281.86 

In  Yolo  County 147,065.32 

Total 362,468.98 

Limit  of  cost  at  $5  per  acre,  $1,812,344  90. 

The  main  canal  was  located  under  the  following  considerations: 

The  construction  of  the  main  canal  from  Gray's  Bend  would  neces- 
sitate the  building  of  high  levees  across  the  low  tule  lands  west  of 
that  point,  and  in  case  of  overflow  from  above  these  levees  would 
dam  up  the  waters  and  could  not  be  protected  from  the  action  of  the 
wind  and  waves,  unless  at  great  risk  and  expense. 

The  canal  should,  therefore,  commence  at  Knight's  Landing,  and 
be  con<lucted  along  the  south  slope-  of  the  ridge  at  that  point  to  the 
firm  ground  on  the  west  of  the  tules. 

High  water  at  Knight's  Landing  is  35  feet  above  ordinary  high  tide 
at  Denverton,  at  the  head  of  Suisun  Bay,  and  42  feet  above  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Montezuma  Hills. 

The  distance  by  the  course  of  the  canal  from  Knight's  Landing  to 
the  summit  is  43  miles,  and  to  Denverton  46  miles. 

Assuming  the  bed  of  the  canal  to  fall  from  8  feet  below  high  water 
at  Knight's  Landing  to  ordinary  high  tide  at  Denverton,  the  slope 
would  be  7  inches  to  the  mile,  and  the  cut  at  the  summit  of  the  Mon- 
tezuma Hills  over  28  feet,  which  would  be  impracticable  on  account 
of  the  cost. 

A  slope  of  4  inches  to  the  mile  would  give  a  summit  cut  of  18  feet, 
and  a  fall  to  high  tide  at  Denverton  of  nearly  13  feet  in  3  miles,  which 
is  so  great  that  an  overfall  of  10  feet  would  be  necessary  for  the  secu- 
rity of  the  sides  of  the  cut. 

The  following  estimate  is  made  on  the  basis  of  a  slope  of  4  inches 
to  the  mile  from  Knight's  Landing  to  the  cut  through  the  Montezuma 
Hills,  and  6  inches  through  the  cut  to  Denverton;  the  levees  sloping 
3  horizontals^  to  1  vertically  on  the  inside,  and  2  to  1  on  the  outside; 
9  feet  above  grade  and  5  feet  in  width  on  the  top;  the  cut  600  feet  in 
width  at  bottom,  and  with  side  slopes  of  45°. 

Such  a  cut  would  not  have  the  dimensions  to  carry  off  the  waters 
which  might  be  delivered  from  above,  because,  with  water  10  feet 
deep  and  liowing  at  the  rate  of  7  miles  per  hour,  the  discharge  would 
be  but  62,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  while  the  discharge  from  Putah 
and  Cache  Creeks  alone,  at  high  water,  is  over  100,000  cubic  feet. 

It  has  not,  however,  been  deemed  necessary  to  calculate  the  dimen- 
sions and  slopes  for  any  particular  discharge,  because,  as  will  be 
shown,  the  cost,  under  the  most  favorable  conditions,  will  exceed  the 
limit  ]n-escribed  by  law. 

The  following  is  an  estimate  of  the  excavation  and  embankment 
which  would  be  required  under  the  above-mentioned  conditions  for 
the  main  canal  from  Knight's  Landing  to  Denverton,  and  for  the 
connections  with  Putah  and  Cache  Creeks. 


19s 


,,.,         j      Excavation,      I    Kmliiii.kinent, 
I     Miles.         cubic  yards.     I      cubic  yards. 


Maiiicanal ..|       1.04  |  302,739 

Main  canal ,     40.36  i 4,576,569 

Main  canal 4.70  j  6,209,259    


Maincanal 46.10  j  6,571,998  I  4,576,569 

i 

Cache  Creek 4.55  : !  :'Aa,\46 

Cache  Creek _ _        2.57  458,835  i 

Putah  Creek I      12.36 1.069,3.34 


Totals ._ j     65.58  7,030,833  5,956,049 


Borings  to  high  tide  level  through  the  Montezuma  Hills  demon- 
strate the  fact  that  there  is  a  narrow  ridge  of  soft  sandstone  towards 
the  southern  margin,  which  is  rather  an  advantage  in  case  it  should 
be  necessary  to  construct  an  overflow  of  10  feet. 

The  material  of  the  hills  can  be  easily  excavated,  but  \vill  require 
a  greater  side  slope  than  is  assumed  in  this  estimate. 

The  material  north  of  the  Monte/Aima  Hills  is  well  adapted  for 
levees. 

The  cost,  including  expenses  of  supervision  and  contingencies,  I 
estimate  at  15  cents  for  levees  and  25  cents  per  yard  for  excavation. 
At  these  ])rices  the  cost  of  the  main  canal  and  auxiliary  canals  at 
Cache  and  Putah  Creeks  will  be  as  follows,  as  shown  in  detail  in 
report  of  June  3d,  1879 : 

Excavation— 7,0."50,833  cubic  yards  at  25  cents $1,757,708  00 

Embankment — 5,956,049  cubic  yards  at  15  cents 893,407  00 

Total $2,651,115  00 

Limit  of  cost  by  law 1,812,345  00 

Excess $838,770  00 

This  cost  is  estimated  for  the  canals  from  Knight's  Landing  to 
Denverton,  not  including  cost  of  head-works,  overfalls,  and  auxiliary 
canals  for  conducting  the  smaller  streams  into  the  main  canal,  or 
cost  of  right  of  way. 

To  continue  the  canal  from  Denverton  across  the  tules  to  Monte- 
zuma Slough,  a  distance  of  4i=V  miles,  would  require  2,214,000  cubic 
yards  of  levee,  which,  at  15  cents  per  yard,  would  cost  §832,000. 

In  my  opinion  it  Avould  cost  less  to  purchase  the  tule  lands  between 
Denverton  and  Montezuma  Slough,  and  build  a  low  levee  along  the 
margin  of  the  tules  for  protection  against  back-water  during  lioods. 

The  cost  of  the  works  would,  therefore,  in  my  opinion,  even  under 
tlie  most  favorable  assumptions,  exceed,  by  over  ^1,000,000,  the  limit 
prescribed  by  law. 

THE  PRACTICABILITY  AND  COST  OF  DRAINING  THE  TULE  BASIN  ON 
THE  WEST  OF  THE  SACRAMENTO  INTO  SUISUN  BAY  BY  MEANS  OF 
A   CANAL   THROUGH    THE    MONTEZUMA    HILLS. 

By  request  of  your  Board  I  jn-esent  at  the  conclusion  of  my  report 
my  opinions  with  regard  to  a  tidal  drainage  canal  through  the  Mon- 
tezuma Hills,  based  on  such  information  as  could  be  obtained  during 


20 

the  progress  of  the  preliminary  surveys  of  the  Sacramento  River 
Drainage  District. 

Under  present  circumstances  all  of  the  escaped  flood-waters  of  the 
river  below  Knight's  Landing,  with  those  of  Putah,  Cache,  and  other 
creeks  from  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Coast  Range,  flow  into  the  tule 
basin  on  the  west  of  the  river,  and  when  the  surface  level  of  the 
accumulated  waters  rises  above  that  of  the  river  surface,  they  flow 
into  the  river  through  Cache  Slough,  along  the  northern  base  of  the 
Montezuma  Hills. 

During  the  flood  of  1878,  the  high  water  surface  at  the  southern 
limit  of  the  basin  was  15  inches  higher  than  the  flood-surface  of 
the  river  at  the  mouth  of  Cache  Slough,  and  the  discharge  through 
that  slough,  across  the  river  current,  banked  up  the  waters  of  the 
river,  and  was  the  cause  of  great  damage  to  the  levees  of  the  islands 
lying  between  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  Rivers. 

The  construction  of  a  drainage  canal  into  Suisun  Bay  would  lower 
the  level  of  the  waters  within  the  basin,  and  necessitate  the  building 
of  levees  across  Cache  Slough,  to  prevent  the  inflow  of  waters  from 
the  river,  and  the  discharge  through  the  drainage  canal,  in  con- 
junction with  the  storage  capacity  of  the  basin,  should  be  sufficient 
to  prevent  such  rise  of  the  waters  as  would  endanger  the  river  levees 
near  the  mouth  of  Cache  Slough  or  elsewhere. 

The  cost  and  dimensions  of  the  canal  must,  therefore,  depend  on  the 
reservoir  capacity  of  the  basin  and  the  amount  of  the  waters  to  be 
drained  into  Suisun  Bay. 

THE   EESERVOIR   CAPACITY   OF   THE   TULE    BASIN. 

In  order  to  determine  the  cubic  contents  of  the  basin,  sections  were 
taken  at  several  points,  and  also  the  elevations  of  the  flood-surface  in 
the  spring  of  1878. 

From  tliese  sections  and  elevations  it  is  estimated  that  the  cubic 
contents  of  the  basin,  at  high  water  of  1878,  amounted  to  49,000,000,000 
cubic  feet,  about  4,000,000,000  more  than  the  contents  of  the  Feather 
River  basin  at  high  water  of  March,  1879. 

For  the  protection  of  the  lands  within  the  basin,  as  well  as  for  the 
security  of  the  river  levees,  the  waters  of  the  basin  should  not  be 
allowed  to  rise  within  3  feet  of  the  level  of  the  flood  of  1878,  and 
in  such  case,  and  at  such  level,  the  cubic  contents  of  the  basin  would 
be  32,000,000,000  cubic  feet. 

These  calculations  were  made  from  the  hight  of  the  flood-surface 
of  the  water  above  the  lowest  line  of  the  tules,  as  shown  on  the  pro- 
file in  Sheet  No.  2,  accompanying  this  report,  and  from  the  assumed 
width  of  the  surface  at  the  different  sections,  and  the  estimate  of  the 
cubic  contents  is,  therefore,  only  approximate,  although  sufficiently 
accurate  for  the  purposes  of  this  report. 

THE   AMOUNT  OF  THE  WATERS  TO  BE   DRAINED    FROM   THE    TULE  BASIN 

INTO   SUISUN    BAY. 

During  the  flood  of  1879  the  maximum  discharge  from  Putah  and 
Cache  Creeks  into  the  basin  was  about  100,000  cubic  feet  per  second, 
and  from  the  river,  through  crevasses,  over  30,000  cubic  feet. 

The  discharge  from  Putah  and  Cache  Creeks  diminished  very 
rapidly,  but  the  river  stood  at  a  high  stage  for  nearly  a  month. 


21 

During  the  flood  of  LSyy  tlie  maximum  discharge  from  Putah  and 
Oaelie  Creeks  was  not  so  great,  but  the  crevasse  discharge  from  the 
river  and  the  discharge  through  the  tule  basin  was  much  greater. 

If  it  be  assumed  that  for  eighteen  and  a  half  days  the  average  flow 
into  tlie  l^asin  would  be  40,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  it  would  l)e  suf- 
ficient to  fill  the  basin  twice  over  to  3  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
flood  of  1878,  and  in  order  that  the  waters  might  not  rise  beyond 
that  hight,  it  would  be  necessary  that  the  average  discharge  of  the 
canal  for  eighteen  and  a  half  days  should  be  20,000  cubic  feet  per 
second. 

The  basin  once  filled,  however,  the  reservoir  capacity  of  the  basin 
ceases  to  reduce  the  discharge  from  the  lower  end,  which  must  then 
be  equal  to  the  whole  discharge  through  the  basin. 

By  reference  to  the  profile  on  Plate  No.  II,  accompanying  this 
report,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  length  of  a  line  along  the  lowest  part 
of  the  tules  is  44  miles,  and  the  average  slope  of  the  bed  over  5  inches 
to  the  mile;  the  depth  along  this  line  during  the  flood  of  1878  was, 
on  an  average,  over  10  feet,  and  the  width  of  the  flood-surface  from 
4  to  8  miles. 

Supposing  the  width  of  a  section  20,000  feet,  the  average  depth  6 
feet,  and  the  slope  6  inches  to  the  mile,  the  mean  velocity  in  an 
ordinary  channel  would  be  about  21  feet  per  second. 

The  velocity  of  the  current  is,  however,  checked  by  the  resistance 
from  the  tules;  but  putting  it  even  at  1  foot  per  second,  the  dis- 
charge would  be  120,000  cubic  feet  per  second. 

Tlie  measured  maximum  discharge  during  the  flood  of  1879  was 
over  130,000  cubic  feet,  of  which  100',000  was  from  Putah  and  Cache 
Creeks. 

During  the  flood  of  1878  it  is  i)robable  that  the  maximum  discharge 
was  over  150,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  more  than  double  the  channel 
discharge  of  the  river  at  Freeport. 

Putah  and  Cache  Creeks  rise  and  fall  very  rapidly,  but  one  day  of 
maximum  discharge  would  be  equivalent  to  an  average  discharge  of 
10,000  cubic  feet  for  ten  days. 

The  duration  of  floods  in  the  river  is  so  great  that  the  crevasse  dis- 
charge may  continue  approximately  uniform  for  a  sufficient  period 
to  fill  the  basin  thrice  over. 

From  these  figures  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  immense  mass 
of  flood-waters  poured  through  Cache  Slough  across  the  channel  of 
the  river. 

Should  this  outlet  be  closed,  the  capacity  of  a  drainage  canal  which 
will  divert  into  Suisun  Bay  the  waters  of  Putah  and  Cache  Creeks, 
and  the  surplus  waters  of  the  river,  under  the  present  system  of 
levees,  must,  in  my  opinion,  far  exceed  20,000  cubic  feet  per  second. 

It  may  be  suggested  that  a  moderate  canal  discharge  would,  at 
least,  drain  the  waters  of  the  basin  so  that  crops  might  be  put  in 
within  ninetv  or  one  hundred  days  after  the  time  of  high  water. 

Sup])Osing,'for  instance,  the  basin  filled  to  the  flood-hight  of  1878, 
a  canal  discharge  of  5,600  cubic  feet  per  second  would  drain  off  the 
waters  in  about  one  hundred  days. 

Such  discharge  would  not,  however,  prevent,  even  during  ordinary 
floods,  the  filling  of  the  basin,  the  destruction  of  the  river  levees,  and 
the  inflow  of  the  river  waters,  in  which  ca.se  the  sub.sidence  of  the 
waters  within  the  basin  would  depend  on  the  subsidence  of  the 
waters  of  the  river. 


22 

COST   AND    DIMENSIONS   OF  A   CANAL    FOR    DIFFERENT    DISCHARGES. 

It  is  proposed  to  cut  the  bed  of  the  canal  to  the  level  of  ordinary 
high  tide  at  Denverton,  at  the  head  of  Suisun  Bay.  This  level  is 
but  10  feet  below  the  flood-hight  of  the  waters  of  the  basin  during 
the  flood  of  1878,  and  H'i  feet  below  the  flood-hight  of  the  river  at 
the  mouth  of  Cache  81ough,  and  in  order  that  the  water  at  the 
entrance  to  tlie  canal  may  not  rise  to  within  IJ  feet  of  the  flood-hight 
of  the  river  in  1878,  the  depth  of  water  in  the  channel  cannot  exceed 
7  feet. 

The  distance  through  the  cut  from  the  northern  base  of  the  Mon- 
tezuma Hills  to  the  tules  of  Suisun  Ba}',  at  the  level  of  ordinary'  high 
tide,  is  about  7  miles,  and  even  assuming  that  the  current  would  ulti- 
mately cut  the  bed  so  that  the  water-surface  would  fall  to  the  high 
tide  level  at  Denverton,  the  slope  could  not  exceed  1  foot  to  the- 
mile.  With  this  slope,  a  depth  of  7  feet  and  a  width  of  bed  of  200 
feet,  the  discharge  would  be  about  5,000  cubic  feet  per  second. 

The  amount  of  excavation,  as  shown  in  the  detailed  calculations 
accompanying  this  report,  would  be  4,630,000  cubic  yards,  and  the 
cost,  at  25  cents  per  yard,  $1,157,500. 

A  canal  with  a  bed  of  1,000  feet,  under  the  same  conditons,  would 
discharge  about  23,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  and  would  cost  $5,335,000. 

This  would  not  include  the  right  of  way,  or  the  levees  at  and 
beyond  Denverton,  or  the  auxiliary  works  and  canals  for  conducting 
the  waters  from  the  basin  to  the  entrance  of  the  canal,  and  including 
these  items,  and  also  the  cost  of  supervision  and  contingencies,  the 
cost  of  a  canal  with  a  maximum  capacity  of  23,000  cubic  feet  per 
second  would  not  be  less  than  -^6,000,000. 

These  calculations  assume  the  depth  of  water  in  the  channel  at 
7  feet,  but  with  a  depth  of  4  feet  the  discharge  for  a  width  of  1,000" 
feet  would  be  about  10,000  cubic  feet  per  second. 

Should  a  levee  system  be  perfected  Avhich  would  afford  a  reason- 
able security  against  overflow,  it  would  be  possible  to  drain  the  waters 
of  Putah  and  Cache  Creeks  into  Suisun  Bay  by  means  of  a  canal  of 
moderate  dimensions,  but  its  construction  would  not  be  advisable 
under  present  circumstances.  The  construction  of  a  drainage  canal 
of  sufficient  capacity  to  divert  into  Suisun  Bay  the  waters  now  dis- 
charged during  floods  through  Cache  Slough  across  the  channel  of 
the  Sacramento  would,  in  my  opinion,  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  river, 
above  and  below;  would  protect  the  levees  of  the  island  between  the 
Sacramento  and  the  San  Joaquin,  and  would  reclaim  a  large  portion 
of  the  lands  within  the  tule  basin  on  the  west  of  the  river. 

The  work  would,  however,  on  account  of  the  heavy  cutting,  the 
limited  depth  of  water,  and  the  great  width  of  the  channel  necessary 
in  order  to  secure  the  requisite  capacity  of  discharge,  be  of  such  mag- 
nitude and  cost,  tliat  it  could  be  executed  only  as  a  part  of  a  general 
plan  and  in  connection  with,  and  subse(iuent  to,  a  system  of  levees 
affording  a  reasonable  security  against  inundation,  at  least  during 
ordinary  floods. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

ISAAC  W.  SMITH, 
Chief  Engineer  Sacramento  River  Drainage  District. 


REPORT  or  THE  ENGINEER  IN  CHARGE. 


As  Engineer  in  Charge  of  the  work  done  by  the  Sacramento  River 
Drainage  District,  under  an  Act  of  the  Legislature,  entitled  "An  Act 
to  create  a  Drainage  District,  to  be  called  the  Sacramento  River 
Drainage  District,  to  establish  a  Board  of  Commissioners  therefor, 
and  to  define  their  power  and  duties,"  approved  April  1st,  1878,  I 
herewith  submit  the  following  report  of  such  work,  with  field-notes, 
maps  and  estimates  of  the  cost  of  construction  of  the  work  proposed 
b}'^  the  above  bill. 

Under  Section  8  of  this  Act  a  party  was  organized,  numbering  thir- 
teen, with  Messrs.  William  Bassett,  of  Sacramento,  and  Horace  D. 
Gates,  of  San  Francisco,  as  Chief  Assistants,  and  placed  under  my 
charge  on  the  1st  day  of  June,  1878,  for  the  purpose  of  making  the 
surveys  necessary  to  determine  the  practicability  of  the  improve- 
ments contemplated  in  this  Act,  to  wit:  draining  the  surplus  waters 
of  the  Sacramento  River,  and  waters  flowing  from  the  east  side  of 
the  Coast  Range  of  Mountains,  in  the  Counties  of  Yolo  and  Solano, 
into  Suisun  Bay,  at  a  point  removed  from  the  present  mouth  of  the 
Sacramento  River,  by  making  a  cut  through  the  jMonte/Aima  Hills. 

The  first  camp  was  made  at  Denverton,  Solano  Countj',  where, 
after  a  little  time  spent  in  disciplining  the  party,  work  was  com- 
menced, and  a  line  run  from  a  i)oint  on  and  near  the  head  of  Nurse 
Slough  as  the  initial  point,  southerly  across  the  tule  lands  to  the  end 
of  the  Potrero  Hills,  and  thence  skirting  the  edge  of  the  hills  to 
Montezuma  Slough,  which  was  found  to  be  of  large  carrying  capacity, 
being  of  an  average  width  of  1,000  feet,  and  from  30  to  40  feet 
in  depth,  and  of  a  comparativelj'  direct  course  to  the  deep  waters  of 
Suisun  Bay,  near  the  head  of  the  Straits  of  Carquinez. 

The  object  of  this  line  was  to  ascertain  the  practicability  and  the 
probable  cost  of  taking  a  canal  into  this  part  of  the  bay.  Offset  and 
auxiliary  lines  were  run  in  order  to  locate  the  numerous  sloughs, 
with  a  view  of  selecting  the  most  favorable  route. 

The  line  was  mainly  over  wet  tule  land  and  narrow,  deep  sloughs, 
or  so-called  beaver  cuts;  the  length  with  offset  and  auxiliary  lines  is 
Sj\  miles.  The  length  of  main  line  4i^V  niiles,  to  the  intersection 
with  Montezuma  Slough,  and  from  this  point  to  Suisun  Bay,  G/^jV 
miles.     This  line  is  denoted  as  "A"  line  in  the  note-books. 

The  line  was  next  taken  up  at  the  initial  point  heretofore  men- 
tioned, and  a  base  line  run  across  the  divide  known  as  the  Monte- 
zuma Hills,  from  the  head  of  Nurse  Slough  to  the  head  of  the  south 
fork  of  Lindsey  Slough. 

Contour  lines  were  run  both  ways  from  the  "base  line"  on  the 
Nurse  Slough  side,  and  also  on  the  Lindsey  Slough,  and  offset  lines 
were  run  each  way  from  the  summit,  the  object  being  to  determine 
the  lowest  and  shortest  i)racticable  route  over  this  divide.  Consider- 
able time  was  devoted  to  this  work,  and  an  aggregate  length  of  GSy'"^ 
miles  of  contour  and  offset  lines  were  run,  which  resulted  in  the 


24 

location  of  the  line  shown  on  Plate  No.  3,  in  connection  with  the  con- 
tours, as  the  most  practicable  route  for  a  canal.  Subsequently  a 
series  of  Avells  were  bored  on  this  line  across  the  divide,  1,000 
feet  apart,  to  determine  the  material  composing  this  portion  of  the 
Montezuma  Hills.  An  accurate  account  was  kept  by  one  of  the 
party  detailed  for  this  work,  and  samples  taken  of  every  change  of 
stratum  found  in  boring.  The  wells  number  thirty-one,  aggregating 
in  dei)th  0862  feet.  The  results  of  such  borings  are  show^n  in  detail 
on  Plate  No.  5,  and  in  section  on  Plate  No.  3,  and  the  location  of  a 
portion  wdiere  rock  was  found,  on  Plate  No.  4. 

The  only  rock  found  was  on  the  westerly  slope  of  the  hills,  and  is 
a  soft  sandstojie,  offering  little  resistance  to  making  the  cut.  The 
other  portions  of  the  hills  were  found  to  be  composed  principally  of 
clayej^  soils,  wdth  some  gravel  and  quicksand. 

Of  the  contour  lines  run,  the  first,  or  one  of  the  least  elevation,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  divide,  is  10  feet  above  low  tide  datum  line  at 
Denverton,  the  one  on  the  east,  or  Lindsey  Slough  side,  being  15  feet 
above  low  tide  or  datum  line  at  Denverton,  each  successive  one  at  5 
feet  greater  elevation,  up  to  30  feet,  the  next  one  being  37  feet  above 
low  tide,  the  next  one  40  feet,  and  so  on  up  to  90  feet,  the  greatest 
elevation  on  the  line  adopted  for  the  route  of  the  canal  being  37  feet 
above  datum,  or  about  30  feet  above  ordinary  high  tide  at  Denverton. 
This  located  line  is  denoted  as  B  line  in  the  note  books.  It  is  per- 
haps W'Cll  to  remark  that  on  this  as  well  as  much  of  the  subsequent 
w'ork,  the  party  was  greatly  annoyed  and  the  work  greatly  impeded 
by  the  gnats,  which  on  still  days  swarmed  in  countless  myriads  from 
the  cracks  in  the  adobe,  attacking  all  the  exposed  parts  with  their 
venomous  bite,  the  effects  of  which  often  remained  for  weeks. 

In  connection  with  this  line  across  the  divide,  an  auxiliary  line 
was  run  along  the  northern  base  of  the  Potrero  Hills,  connecting 
w^ith  Suisun  Bay  by  the  way  of  Suisun  Slough.  This  line  is  denoted 
as  Z  line  in  the  note-books,  and  is,  with  the  continuation  of  the  line 
into  Fairfield,  9  miles  in  length.  A  line  was  also  run  over  the  first 
pass  to  the  east  of  Denverton,  but  on  attaining  an  elevation  of  97 
feet  above  low  tide  it  was  abandoned.  The  length  of  this  line  was 
2j^  miles,  and  is  denoted  as  C  line  in  the  note  books. 

The  located  line  across  the  divide  was  then  taken  up,  and  extended 
northerly  toward  Gray's  Bend,  following  as  nearly  as  practicable  the 
natural  grade  line  of  the  country,  rising  at  the  rate  of  6  inches  to 
the  mile.  Offset  lines  were  run  each  way  from  this  line  at  different 
points,  in  order  to  determine  the  slope  of  the  ground  from  west  to 
east.  At  the  sink  of  Putah  Creek  back-water  from  the  tule  was  met 
with,  and  a  detour  made  to  avoid  it ;  an  offset  line  was  run  around 
the  overflowed  district,  the  line  being  again  taken  up  on  the  opposite 
side,  at  a  point  at  or  near  Swingle's  Station,  on  the  California  Pacific 
Railroad,  and  continued.  Back-water  was  again  met  with  on  reach- 
ing the  tule  directly  south  of  Gray's  Bend  and  east  of  the  sink  of 
Cache  Creek,  and  a  second  detour  made,  crossing  Cache  Creek  above 
the  sink  and  running  into  Knight's  Landing,  thence  down  the  Sacra- 
mento River  to  Gray's  Bend. 

From  Gray's  Bend  a  line  was  run  back  towards  the  point  on  the 
other  side  of  the  tule,  where  the  back-w^ater  was  met,  a  distance  of 
xViT  miles,  as  far  as  the  water  permitted. 

High  Avater  at  Knight's  Landing  was  found  to  be  41-i^  feet  above 
low  tide  at  Denverton,  and  at  Gray's  Bend  39  feet  above  low  tide. 


25 

The  total  lengtli  of  this  line,  including  offset  lines,  is  77nnrnQiles. 
The  length  of  main  line,  not  including  offset  or  auxiliary  lines,  is 
44-i^^j-  miles.  The  object  of  this  line  being  to  determine  the  amount 
of  fall  from  high  water  in  the  Sacramento  River,  at  Gray's  Bend  and 
Knight's  Landing,  to  low  tide  at  Suisun  Bay,  and  also  to  determine 
the  most  practicable  route  for  a  canal,  diverting  a  portion  of  the 
waters  of  the  Sacramento  River  at  or  near  Gray's  Bend,  and  inter- 
cepting the  waters  of  Cache  and  Putah  Creeks  and  other  waters  com- 
ing in  from  the  Avest  before  they  have  entered  the  tule  basin,  and 
keeping  on  the  high  land,  reach  the  Montezuma  Hills  atapoint  with 
as  great  an  elevation  as  can  be  attained,  after  allowing  grade  enough 
to  give  velocity  to  the  waters  of  the  canal. 

A  meander  line,  having  its  initial  point  at  Gray's  Bend,  was  next 
run  down  tlie  west  bank  of  the  Sacramento  River,  with  offset  lines 
running  into  the  tule  on  the  west,  and  frequent  cross  sections  of  the 
river  banks,  with  measurements  of  the  width  of  the  river,  to  Rio 
Vista;  connection  was  made  with  Sacramento  City  and  with  a  scries 
of  gauges  put  up  by  the  State  Engineer  Department.  This  work  was 
done  in  connection  with  that  of  the  State  Engineer  Department. 
Permanent  benches  and  points  were  established  at  intervals  of  1 
mile  as  a  base  for  future  operations.  Mr.  D.  D.  Griffiths,  of  the  State 
Engineer  Department,  accompanied  this  survey  as  topograplier.  The 
survey  was  greatly  impeded  by  the  difficulty  of  working  through  the 
dense  thickets  of  brush  bordering  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  by  con- 
tinued sickness  in  the  party,  caused  by  the  intense  heat  and  the 
malaria;  also  from  the  effects  of  the  poison  oak  whicli  here  abounds. 

The  total  length  of  this  line,  including  offsets  and  cross  sections, 
is  98yW  miles,  the  length  of  the  offset  and  cross  section  lines  being 
32yV^  miles.     This  line  is  denoted  as  No.  10  in  the  note-books. 

The  object  of  this  survey  was  to  gather  data  to  determine  the  effect 
upon  the  river  by  diverting  a  portion  of  its  waters  by  means  of  a 
canal  into  Suisun  Bay,  and  to  determine  the  amount  necessary  to  be 
so  diverted  in  order  to  produce  a  certain  diminution  of  the  volume 
of  the  waters  of  the  river  at  all  points  below  the  point  of  diversion, 
and  to  obtain  a  correct  alignment  of  the  Sacramento  River. 

From  a  point  near  Rio  Vista  a  tie  line  was  run  acro.ss  to  and  con- 
nected with  the  "  B"  line.    The  length  of  this  line  was  OrW  miles. 

A  survey  of  Putah  Creek  was  then  made,  a  line  being  run  from 
the  sink  of  the  north  brancli  or  old  channel  of  the  creek,  up  the 
creek  to  a  point  on  the  Rancho  Rio  de  las  Putos,  near  Green 
McMahon's  residence,  said  point  being  above  the  line  of  overflow 
from  the  creek,  where  a  section  of  the  creek  was  prepared  for  gauging 
during  the  next  high  water  in  the  creek.  A  line  was  then  run  down 
the  south  branch  or  new  channel  of  Putah  Creek  to  the  tule,  with 
numerous  offset  and  cross  section  lines.  The  total  lengths  of  these 
lines  are  Sl^rh  miles,  and  are  denoted  in  the  note-books  as  Putah 
Creek  survevs,  and  shown  on  Plate  No.  6. 

The  object  of  this  survey  was  to  determine  the  maximum  volume 
of  water  entering  the  tule  basin  from  this  source  during  the  flood 
season,  the  most  practicable  route  for  taking  it  into  a  main  canal, 
and  an  estimate  of  the  amount  of  debris  brought  down  and  deposited 
in  the  tule. 

A  survey  with  the  same  object  in  view  was  made  of  Cache  Creek. 
Total  length  of  line,  including  cross  sections,  9y^  miles,  is  denoted 
in  note-books  as  Cache  Creek  survey's,  and  shown  on  Plate  No.  7. 
4r 


26 

A  series  of  lines  were  run  into  and  across  the  tule  from  diiferent 
points  on  the  "  B "  line,  viz. :  one  into  the  Big  Lake  Basin  4fVV 
miles  in  length  ;  one  across  the  tule  at  its  narrowest  point,  where 
the  old  Williams'  grade  crossed  at  the  head  of  Babel's  Slough,  Ty^^ 
miles  in  length,  and  one  running  down  Cache  Slough  Sifj  miles  in 
length.  These  lines  are  shown  on  Plate  No.  1,  and  profiles  of  same 
are  shown  on  Plate  No.  2. 

This  finished  the  work  in  the  field,  and  the  party  was  disbanded 
November  5th,  1878.  On  the  1st  of  October,  Horace  D.  Gates  severed 
his  connection  with  the  party  to  accept  a  position  on  the  Govern- 
ment survey,  the  vacancy  being  filled  by  Norman  B.  Kellogg,  of  San 
Francisco. 

Subsequently  a  line  of  levels  was  run  from  Rio  Vista  to  Denver- 
ton,  thence  toLindsey  Slough,  and  thence  to  Cache  Slough,  putting 
up  and  connecting  gauges  at  these  points. 

Upon  finishing  the  work  in  the  field,  an  office  was  established  at 
53  J  Street,  Sacramento,  and  the  work  of  making  maps  of  the  sur- 
veys, with  plans  for  the  work  proposed,  and  estimates  of  the  cost 
of  same,  was  commenced,  William  Bassett,  of  Sacramento,  being 
Chief  Assistant. 

A  general  map  of  the  district  was  made  on  a  scale  of  14,000  feet  to 
1  inch,  and  a  map  of  the  profiles  of  the  surveys,  Plate  No.  2,  for 
publication.  The  general  map  or  maps  of  the  Sacramento  River 
Drainage  District  surveys  shows  the  boundaries  of  the  district,  the 
sections  within  the  district  only  being  numbered ;  the  Montezuma 
Hills,  the  Sacramento  River,  the  tule  basin,  the  line  of  a  proposed 
main  canal  from  Knight's  Landing  to  Suisun  Bay,  the  proposed  sub- 
sidiary canals,  the  line  of  lowest  levels  through  the  tule  from  Gray's 
Bend  to  the  Montezuma  Hills,  in  connection  with  a  drainage  cut 
through  those  hills,  the  lines  D,  E,  F,  and  B  L,  run  into  and  across 
the  tule  basin,  with  the  main  points  of  interest. 

Plate  No.  2. — Profiles  of  surveys  of  Sacramento  River  Drainage 
District,  shows  a  profile  of  the  line  of  a  proposed  main  canal,  a  pro- 
file of  lowest  line  of  levels  through  the  tule,  a  profile  of  the  bank 
and  bed  of  (/ache  Creek,  a  profile  of  the  bank  and  bed  of  Putah 
Creek,  a  profile  of  the  bank  and  bed  of  the  new  channel  of  Putah 
Creek,  a  cross  section  of  the  tule  basin  at  line  "_  D  "  on  the  general 
map.  (The  notes  of  this  cross  section  were  obtained  from  the  State 
Engineer  Department.) 

A  cross  section  of  the  tule  basin  at  line  "  E"  on  the  general  map,^ 
the  notes  of  which  were  obtained  from  the  Engineer  Department  of 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad;  a  profile  of  the  line  "  B  L  "  shown  on 
the  general  map,  and  a  cross  section  of  the  narrowest  part  of  the  tule 
basin  at  line  "  F,"  also  on  the  general  map. 

Plate  No.  3. — A  map  of  the  contours  of  Montezuma  Hills,  scale 
1,000  feet  to  1  inch,  showing  the  contours  run  to  determine  the 
lowest  pass  over  this  divide.  The  located  "  B  "  line  as  being  the  most 
practicable  route  for  a  canal. 

The  line  across  the  tules  from  the  head  of  Nurse  Slough  to  Monte- 
zuma Slough,  the  location  of  Denverton,  the  high  land  of  the  Potrero 
Hills,  Lindsey,  Nurse,  and  Montezuma  Slouglis,  a  profile  of  the  "B" 
line  showing  the  shape  of  the  divide,  and  a  section  showing  the  strata 
in  connection  with  a  profile  of  a  drainage  cut  through  the  hills. 

Plate  No.  4. — Showing  the  location  of  the  sandstone  ridge  on  the 


27 

westerly  slope  of  the  divide  near  Denverton  and  the  wells  bored  to 
ascertain  the  extent  and  depth  Ijelow  the  surface  of  said  ridge. 

Plate  No.  5. — A  profile  of  "  B"  line  across  the  divide,  showing  the 
wells  bored  and  the  results  of  such  borings  in  detail,  and  the  grade 
lines  of  the  proposed  main  canal  and  of  a  drainage  cut  respectively. 

Plate  No.  6. — Map  of  Putah  Creek  surveys,  scale  1,000  feet  to  an 
inch,  showing  the  surveys  in  detail.  Two  cross  sections,  one  of  the 
old  and  one  of  the  new  channels,  showing  their  relative  carrying 
capacities.  Two  cross  sections  taken  above  the  line  of  overflow  to 
assist  in  determining  the  volume  of  flow.  A  profile  of  the  bank  and 
bed  of  the  creek  from  a  point  above  the  line  of  overflow  down  the 
old  channel  to  the  tule,  and  of  the  new  channel  from  its  Iiead  to  the 
tule,  and  showing  the  Putah  Creek  subsidiary  canal,  and  its  junction 
with  the  proposed  main  canal. 

Plate  No.  7. — Map  of  the  Cache  Creek  survej^s,  scale  1,000  feet  to 
the  inch,  showing  the  surveys  in  detail,  with  two  cross  sections  taken 
at  points  above  the  line  of  overflow  to  assist  in  determining  the 
volume  of  flow.  A  profile  of  the  bank  and  bed  of  the  creek  from  a 
point  above  the  line  of  overflow  to  the  tule,  the  Cache  Creek  sub- 
sidiary canal  and  its  junction  with  the  proposed  main  canal,  and  the 
location  of  Gray's  Bend  on  the  Sacramento  River,  in  its  relation  to 
the  sink  of  Cache  Creek. 

Under  the  direction  of  Chief  Engineer  Isaac  W.  Smith,  a  proposed 
line  for  a  main  canal  was  adopted,  having  its  initial  point  at  Knight's 
Landing,  8  feet  below  the  high  water  of  1878,  and  running  thence, 
following  as  nearly  as  i)racticable  the  natural  surface  slope  of  the 
ground,  with  a  grade  falling  at  the  rate  of  4  inches  to  the  mile,  to 
the  Montezuma  Hills,  reaching  them  at  a  point  with  an  elevation  of 
lOyV  feet  above  low  tide,  thence  through  the  hills  with  an  increased 
grade  of  6  inches  to  the  mile  oyVtt  miles  to  the  ledge  of  rock  afore- 
mentioned, an  overfall  being  made  at  this  point  of  10  feet,  and  thence 
continuing  said  grade  to  a  i^oint  in  the  tule  south  and  west  of  Den- 
verton, when  the  grade  runs  out  on  the  surface  of  the  tule;  thence 
with  a  grade  conforming  with  and  to  the  surface  of  the  tule  to  Mon- 
tezuma Slough. 

This  line  for  a  proposed  main  canal  is  shown  on  the  general  map 
of  tlie  district,  and  a  profile  of  same  on  Plate  No.  2. 

Estimates  were  made  of  the  amount  of  earth-work  necessary  to 
construct  this  canal,  based  on  the  following  cut  and  levees: 

Beginning  at  the  Sacramento  River,  at  the  Town  of  Knight's  Land- 
ing, with  a  cut feet  wide  on  the  bottom,  with  side  slopes  of  1  to 

1,  and  following  along  the  line  shown  on  the  general  map  with  a 
grade  8  feet  below  high  water  of  1878  at  point  of  beginning,  and 
falling  at  the  rate  of  4  inches  to  the  mile,  ^y%  miles,  to  where  the  grade 
of  the  bottom  of  the  cut  runs  on  the  natural  surface  of  the  ground. 
Levees  are  built  on  each  side  of  this  cut,  beginning  at  Knight's 
Landing  and  running  thence  parallel,  with  a  width  on  top  of  5 
feet,  with  an  inside  slope  of  o  to  1,  and  an  outside  slope  of  2 
to  1,  with  a  grade  on  top  conforming  with  and  9  feet  above  the 
grade  of  the  bottom  of  the  canal,  along  said  line  shown lon  general 
map,  7fV(j  miles  to  the  junction  with  the  Cache  Creek  subsidiary 
canal,  as  shown  on  general  map,  also  on  Plate  No.  7.  At  the  point 
of  junction  the  main  canal  is  widened,  by  placing  the  levees  a  greater 

distance  apart,  to  a  width  of feet,  and  continued  thence,  with  the 

same  relative  grade,  Utu^  miles,  to  the  junction  with  Putah  Creek 


28 

subsidiary  canal,  as  shown  on  the  general  map,  and  also  on  Plate  No. 
6.  At  the  point  of  junction  the  width  of  the  canal  is  again  increased 
in  proi)ortion  to  the  amount  of  increase  in  the  volume  of  water  to  be 
carried. 

Continuing  thence,  with  the  same  relative  grades,  20yVo"  miles,  to 
where  the  grade  of  the  top  of  the  levee  runs  out  on  the  natural  sur- 
face of  the  ground  at  the  Montezuma  Hills.  The  canal  is  continued 
through  the  hills  by  means  of  a  cut  600  feet  wide  on  the  bottom,  with 
side  slopes  of  1  to  1,  beginning  back  y^o  of  a  mile  from  the  end  of 
the  levees  and  running  thence,  Avith  an  increased  grade  of  6  inches 
to  the  mile,  Sj^  miles,  to  where  the  overfall  is  made. 

Continuing  thence  l-j^  miles  to  where  the  grade  runs  out  on  the 
surface  of  the  tule,  the  canal  is  carried  across  tliis  tule  land  by  means 
of  two  parallel  levees,  beginning  back  l^Vo  miles  from  the  end  of 
the  cutting,  and  running  thence  with  a  grade  conforming  with  the 
surface  of  the  tule  ofVii  miles  to  a  junction  with  Montezuma  Slough. 
The  total  length  of  this  proposed  main  canal,  from  Knight's  Land- 
ing to  Montezuma  Slough,  is  oO-fVo  miles. 

The  Cache  Creek  subsidiary  canal,  for  the  purpose  of  diverting  the 
waters  of  Cache  Creek  into  the  main  canal,  begins  at  a  point  where 
the  Northern  Railway  crosses  the  creek,  near  the  Town  of  Yolo,  said 
point  being  above  the  line  of  overflow  of  the  creek,  and  running 
thence  down  the  present  channel,  utilized  by  means  of  levees  on 
either  side,  with  a  width  of  5  feet  on  top,  with  an  inside  slope  of  3  to 
1,  and  an  outside  slope  of  2  to  1.  and  with  a  grade  conforming  to  the 
fall  of  the  bed  of  the  creek  4Yoir  miles,  to  where  the  waters  are 
diverted  into  a  cut  150  feet  wide  on  the  bottom,  with  side  slopes  of 
2  to  1,  with  levee  of  similar  dimension  to  the  foregoing  on  each 
side;  running  thence,  with  a  curvature  of  5,730  feet  radius  2^^ 
miles,  to  a  junction  with  the  main  canal,  shown  on  general  map  antl 
also  on  Plate  No.  7. 

The  Putah  Creek  subsidiary  canal,  for  the  purpose  of  diverting  the 
waters  of  Putah  Creek  into  the  main  canal,  begins  at  a  point  on  the 
creek  above  the  line  of  overflow  of  the  waters  of  the  creek,  said  point 
being  located  on  the  creek  2,900  feet  above  the  residence  of  Green 
McMahon,  and  running  thence  down  the  present  channel,  utilized 
by  means  of  levees  on  either  side  of  said  channel,  with  a  width  on  top 
of  5  feet,  with  an  inside  slope  of  3  to  1,  and  an  outside  slope  of  2  to  1, 
5yVo  miles  to  the  forks  of  the  new  and  old  channels,  thence  down  the 
new  channel,  and  by  line  shown  on  the  general  map,  and  also  on  Plate 
6,  7^00  miles  to  a  junction  Avith  the  main  canal.  The  total  length  of 
this  subsidiary  canal  is  12y^^  miles.  These  estimates  are  hereunto 
appended. 

An  estimate  was  also  made  of  a  drainage  cut  through  the  Monte- 
zuma Hills,  from  Lindsey  Slough  to  the  tule  a  little  south  and  west 
of  Denverton,  the  bottom  of  this  cut  to  be  200  feet  in  width,  with 
slopes  of  1  to  1,  having  a  uniform  elevation  of  6yV  feet  above  low 
tide;  the  average  elevation  of  high  tide  is  also  hereunto  appended. 
The  length  of  this  cut  would  be  7fV  miles.  A  profile  of  tlie  cut  is 
.shown  on  Plate  No.  2,  in  connection  Avith  that  along  the  line  of 
lowest  levels  through  the  tule;  also  on  Plate  No.  3,  in  connection 
Avith  a  section  showing  strata  of  Montezuma  Hills,  the  alignment 
being  shown  on  general  map. 

On  Plates  Nos.  6  and  7  is  shown  the  highest  Avater  mark  of  4th  and 
5th  of  March,  1879,  Avith  the  cross  sectional  area  of  Cache  and  Putah 


29 

Creeks,  respectively.  Observation  of  the  velocity  of  the  current  of 
Putah  Creek  was  made  in  company  with  Mr.  Bassett  on  the  5th  of 
March,  which  resulted  in  a  mean  surface  velocity  of  V2^%  feet  per 
second,  with  a  depth  of  24^,  the  water  falling  at  the  rate  of  1  foot 
per  hour. 

The  hight  of  the  highest  water  was  noted,  being  o^^  feet  in  excess 
of  the  observed  hight,  which  would  give  a  maximum  depth  of  30y% 
feet.  A  comparison  was  made  between  the  observed  velocity  in  feet 
per  second,  and  that  obtained  by  formula — 

2gh=V 

Fxlp 

A  being  the  main  area  of  cross  section,  1=  length  of  observed  section 
p^=  perimeter,  h=  fall  in  bed  of  creek,  F=co-efficient  of  friction,  g=; 
velocity  acquired  by  falling  bodies  at  the  end  of  the  first  second, 
V=  mean  velocity  in  feet  per  second,  the  result  being  by  observation 
12y®^  feet  per  second  for  a  mean  surface  velocity,  and  12y\f  feet  x  y\^ 
gives  lOy^  feet,  this  for  a  mean  velocity  of  the  whole  cross  section  per 
second.  By  formula  a  mean  velocity  of  the  whole  cross  section  of 
12f\7  feet  was  obtained,  which,  under  reversed  circumstances,  that  is 
to  say,  with  the  creek  rising  instead  of  falling,  I  assume  to  be  approxi- 
mately correct. 

Then  using  this  formula  with  a  depth  of  water  of  30-i%  feet,  a  cross 
sectional  area  (A)  of  5,751  feet,  length  of  section  (1)  1,UU0  feet,  a  peri- 
meter or  water  profile  (p)  of  274  feet,  a  fall  (h)  of  1  foot,  g=  o2.166 
feet,  and  F==  .00743,  V^  13.48,  the  mean  velocity  in  feet  per  second 
of  the  entire  area  of  the  creek,  and  the  area  5,751xl3iYo  mean  velocity, 
gives  77,523  cubic  feet  per  second  as  the  maximum  volume  of  flow. 

An  observation  of  Cache  Creek  other  than  noting  the  hight  of 
highest  water,  was  not  made,  the  similarity  of  the  two  creeks  making 
an  observation  of  both  not  essential  for  the  purpose  of  this  report,  as 
only  an  approximation  is  aimed  at.  High  water  of  March  5th,  1879, 
gives  a  mean  depth  of  231  feet  in  the  section  taken  of  the  creek, 
which  gives  a  mean  area  of  3,558  feet,  a  perimeter  of  235  feet,  fall  of 
1  foot,  length  1,000  feet,  and  by  preceding  formula  a  mean  velocity  of 
Ht^V  feet  per  second  is  obtained,  and  11.41  x35i^  gives  40,596  cubic 
feet  per  second  as  the  maximum  volume  of  fiow. 

There  is  appended  hereunto  tables  showing  the  total  mileage  of 
the  surveys,  the  total  number  of  acres  in  the  district,  as  computed 
from  surveys  on  file  in  the  Surveyor-General's  office,  and  the  relative 
hights  of  the  main  points  in  the  district. 
Respectfully  submitted, 

JIM.  C.  PIERSON, 

Engineer  in  Charge. 


30 

TABLE 

Showing  the  Mai  length  in  miles  of  the  various  lines  constituting  the  Sacramento  Eivcr  Drainage 

District  surveys. 

Mainline 132.14  miles. 

Offset  and  tie 107.00  miles. 

Cross  section 11-57  miles. 

Contour 67.22  miles. 

Putah  Creek 31.()2  miles. 

Cache  Creek 9.00  miles. 

Total 348.65  miles. 


TABLE 
Showing  the  number  of  acres  in  the  Sacramento  River  Drainage  District. 

Sacramento  County 166,121.80  acres. 

Solano  County ■_ 49,281.36  acres. 

Yolo  County 147,065.32  acres. 

Total 362,468.48  acres. 


TABLE 

Showing  the  relative  elevation  of  principal  points  in  the  Sacramento  Eiccr  Drainage  District. 

Low  tide  at  New  York  Landing  (Hall's  base) 1.26  feet. 

Low  tide  at  Denverton : 0.00  feet. 

High  tide  at  Denverton  (average) 6^50  feet. 

High  tide  at  Denverton  (extreme) 10.00  feet. 

Surface  of  tule  from  Denverton  to  Montezuma  Slough  (average) 6.60  feet. 

Surface  of  tule  at  Lindsey  Slough 6.60  feet. 

Surface  of  tule  at  Big  Lake 3.00  feet. 

Surface  of  tule  at  its  narrowest  point  (opjwsite  Babel  Slough) 9.00  feet. 

Surface  of  tule  at  the  sink  of  the  new  channel  of  Putah  Creek 12.30  feet. 

Surface  of  tule  at  the  sink  of  the  old  channel  of  Putah  Creek 26.00  feet. 

Surface  of  tule  opposite  Sacramento 11.60  feet. 

Surface  of  tule  opposite  Colonel  Hall's 20.00  feet. 

Surface  of  tule  opposite  Gray's  Bend 26.66  feet. 

Surface  of  tule  at  sink  of  Cache  Creek 27.60  ieet. 

Summit  of  pass  over  the  Montezuma  Hills 37.08  feet. 

Surface  of  ground  at  Maine  Praii-ie 8.00  feet. 

Surface  of  ground  at  Knight's  Landing 37.10  feet. 

Surface  of  ground  at  Gray's  Bend 34.60  feet. 

City  base,  Sacramento 4.96  feet. 

rio"od-hight  of  water  at  Maine  Prairie,  1S61  aild  1862,  18.02;  of  1878 16.70  feet. 

Flood-hight  of  Sacramento  River  at  Newtown  Landing,  of  1878 16.24  feet. 

Flood-high t  of  Sacramento  River  at  Richland 20.45  feet. 

Flood-hight  of  Sacramento  River  at  Babel  Slough 24.36  feet. 

Flood-hight  of  Sacramento  River  at  the  chicory  ranch 27.97  feet. 

Flood-hight  of  Sacramento  River  at  Sacramento 30.92  feet. 

Flood-hight  of  Sacramento  River  10^  miles  below  Freeport 32.05  feet. 

Flood-hight- of  Sacramento  River  2i  miles  below  Fremont 33.58  feet. 

Flood-hight  of  Sacramento  River  at  Gray's  Bend 37.00  feet. 

Flood-hight  of  Sacramento  River  at  Knight's  Landing 41.50  feet. 

Flood-hight  of  Cache  Creek  at  Yolo 88.00  feet. 

Flood-hight  of  Putah  Creek  at  Green  McMahon's 100.76  feet. 


1 


